Relations between Senseis
by bgreenwivy
Summary: There is a lot more to Maito Gai then meets the eye and unfortunately it takes some bad things happening before Kakashi and Iruka realize it. Now they want Gai but what will it take to prove it to Gai? Summary not so great but story is better
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Relations between Senseis  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> (KakaIru, GaiIru, KakaGai with eventual GaiKakaIru )  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M for Sex, Violence and Mature themes  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Attempted Suicide, Violence, Polyamorous Relationship  
><strong>Summary:<strong> There is a lot more to Maito Gai then meets the eye and unfortunately it takes some bad things happening before Kakashi and Iruka realize it. (Summary not so great but story is better)  
><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This was written with the assistance of the lovely Hiashi who helped me pull this together. This was written in response to a prompt from one of the kink memes. Of course now that I have written this I can't find the blasted prompt. Anyway the prompt asked for Kakashi/Iruka in a relationship with Gai. The main point of the prompt was that Gai wasn't the but of some joke but actually a serious part of the relationship. So this is in the beginning stages and I hope ya'll give it a chance.

**Disclaimer for all Chapters hereafter:**I don't own Naruto and make no profit off of this.

Gai's primary ninja tool was his body. He knew its strengths, the weaknesses that he was slowly cutting away and its movements. The knowledge that he stored in his head about his body led him to one conclusion, something was off in the world of Maito Gai's body.

It was a subtle feeling of not all being right with his chakra. Not the muscles whose memory was honed to almost perfection but the chakra underneath and running through the muscles themselves.

Resolving that sleep would help cure what ailed him, Gai allowed himself to fall into a deep sleep. Being home at last and in _safe_territory always made sleep easier at night. In the morning if the problem still existed he would deal with it then.

As Gai dreamed his muscles subconsciously twisted and twitched. Thoughts that Gai buried deep in his head were seemingly brought out one after another. Some were discarded almost instantly while others were examined with great detail. In his sleep, Gai whimpered and moaned as feelings that he never allowed himself to show or even acknowledge until the searching stopped.

Whatever had been traveling through his dreams hit upon a block and as Gai's mind struggled to wake him up and fight the invasion, the barrier was dismantle. Tears slowly leaked from Gai's eyes as he was assaulted by sensations of his worst times. Moments that once lived were best forgotten. Gai's subconscious mind gave one last attempt before it was silenced by the invader. Chakra stirred wildly before being still and muscles tensed as a memory was pushed on them. Once learned the muscles relaxed again and Gai gradually started to waken. For the first time in a long time after sleep he woke more tired than he had been.

Operating on autopilot Gai sat up and ruffled his hair. Then walking into his bathroom, he combed the hair off his face so that it waved back. Looking in the mirror and turning his face this way and that Gai determined that his eyebrows could do with some landscaping. Not having tweezers handy, Gai simply used a knife to shave a bit off of them thickness wise.

Once that was complete Gai wondered why he had trimmed his eyebrows. Gai's eyebrows had never really bothered him. Shaking his head at the stray thought, Gai went to get dressed. Pulling on a pair of dark pants Gai tucked them into his shinobi sandals.

Wrapping bandages around his thigh for his weapons, Gai continued to dress. His shirt soon followed and it was a simple standard jounin blue shirt with Konoha symbol on the back. Slipping on the regulation shinobi vest, Gai made his way to the mission room to turn in his report.

Thoughts flicked through his head as he walked. People were staring but Gai was use to that. Queuing up in the line, Gai noticed that people weren't talking but watching him.

_"They want to watch you slit your throat; They want to watch you bleed."_ Gai blinked slowly confused at what the voice was saying. He felt a flash of something flick through his mind. _"I wonder what would happen if I just died right here in front of everyone would anyone help me. Or would they just stand and watch?"_These thoughts flew through Gai's head becoming more intense the longer Gai tried to hold them back.

The act of standing in line was torture and Gai wanted it to end. Soon enough Gai was standing in front of Iruka with his report in front of him. Handing it over, Gai felt his hands flick to his weapon's pouch. Iruka's gasp was the only thing that stopped Gai from accurately ending his life. His mind screaming at his body's betrayal, Gai felt strangely detached as he wondered where his perfect body control had gone. The blade just missed his heart by a centimeter but Gai was already falling. Red was everywhere and Gai knew that the jutsu he had been hit with on the mission was a suicide jutsu.

Hearing yelling around him, Gai completely zoned out and concentrated on slowing his heartbeat so he wouldn't bleed out on the floor of the mission room.

Iruka had noticed something was off the second the mission room had gone quiet but he hadn't bothered to see what was going on. He always found out sooner or later.

As the line slowly moved it was clear that the source of all the attention was in the line. He could just see the ninja causing the commotion. While Iruka didn't immediately recognize the ninja, he somehow felt extremely familiar.

"Thank you for your hard work," Iruka chirped pleasantly, sending another ninja off to the hospital to get his minor wounds patched up. The jounin hadn't even noticed he was bleeding. Shaking his head at the sheer obliviousness of higher level jounin, Iruka looked up and finally got a better look at the ninja that was attracting all the attention.

_'Oh my god, it's Gai!' _he exclaimed internally, trying hard not to grin at the bewildered look on the man's face. _'Poor thing is going to be eaten alive. I wonder how long it will be before he goes back to his old style,'_Iruka mused, his lips twitching as he took another scroll and checked it over.

"Thank you for your hard work," he chuckled, waving the next person forward.

As Gai stepped up to his desk, Iruka could see that it wasn't only Gai's looks that were arousing interest. There was something horrible disconcerting about Gai's chakra that was impossible to miss but just as impossible to pinpoint. Iruka cocked his head to the side as the man stepped in front of him. Trying to figure out what was so off putting as he took the scroll and unrolled it.

It was only the slightest of movements but years of sitting behind the desk as jounin came back from S ranked missions kept Iruka's senses sharp. The glint off the kunai made Iruka gasp but he was too late. As he leaped over the desk the knife was already tearing through flesh and crimson showered down around him.

"Gai! NO!" Iruka screamed, slapping his hand hard over the wound. "Gen, go get the Hokage!"

It had been so surreal that Iruka could barely even acknowledge that he was being pried away from Gai so Tsunade could get enough room to treat him. It was only after a few minutes of staring on in horror as the bleeding was stemmed that Iruka's bloody fingers flew through a string of hand signs and he called for Kakashi, knowing his lover would want to know about this immediately.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Relations between Senseis  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> (KakaIru, GaiIru, KakaGai with eventual GaiKakaIru )  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M for Sex, Violence and Mature themes  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Attempted Suicide, Violence, Polyamorous Relationship  
><strong>Summary:<strong> There is a lot more to Maito Gai then meets the eye and unfortunately it takes some bad things happening before Kakashi and Iruka realize it.  
><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This was written with the assistance of the lovely Hiashi who helped me pull this together. This was written in response to a prompt from one of the kink memes. Of course now that I have written this I can't find the blasted prompt. Anyway the prompt asked for Kakashi/Iruka in a relationship with Gai. The main point of the prompt was that Gai wasn't the but of some joke but actually a serious part of the relationship. So this is in the beginning stages and I hope ya'll give it a chance.

**Disclaimer for all Chapters hereafter:**I don't own Naruto and make no profit off of this.

Slowly Gai began to realize that the white light wasn't caused by heaven but instead the tiled ceiling of the hospital illuminated by fluorescent light. Gai tried to remember why exactly he shouldn't be surprised he was here when the events slowly began to filter through his head. The damn jutsu. It had made him try to kill himself in the mission room.

For a moment Gai tried to get up but found himself in restraints. It made sense he supposed. He needed to be strapped down because they didn't want him to try to injure himself again. Though now that he realized he couldn't move his arms freely he noticed that his nose was inching. Tilting his head just so Gai rubbed his nose against his shoulder.

The movement did pretty well in terms of relieving his itch but there was still the ningling. Feeling a familiar presence Gai was about to give his normal cheerful greeting but realized that the boiling nature of the chakra he was sensing did not lend itself to someone in good humor.

Slowly Gai turned his head and gazed at the owner of the tumoltous chakra.

"A very youthful afternoon." Gai smiled toothily as his mind raced to figure out the best way to explain what had happened.

"Don't do it. Don't start with the youthful bullshit right now, Maito Gai," Tsunade growled, noting the very anxious look on Kakashi's face despite his ardent belief that Gai couldn't have tried to commit suicide. "This is not a laughing, or even a smiling matter," she snapped, though she moved to the side of his bed and rested a hand over his with a gentleness that her voice didn't carry.

"Going to tell me what the hell you were thinking?" she asked, arching a blonde brow, her lips pursed into a tight line.

"Slowing my heart rate down so I didn't bleed out on the mission room floor." Gai replied evenly treading carefully over the ground that was Tsunade's legendary temper.

"Gai." Kakashi growled, actually growled his fingers clenching through his pants pockets.

"Yes my esteemed rival?" Gai queried automatically.

"Did you or did you not attempt to kill yourself in my mission room?" Tsunade's voice was deceptively mild.

"I did attempt to kill myself,"

"Why would you want to kill yourself?" Kakashi asked lazily even though his hands remained fisted in his pants pocket.

"I didn't want to kill myself." Gai responded calmly.

"You inserted a knife into your chest going straight to your heart." Tsunade tapped her fingers on the end of the bed pointedly.

"Yes but I didn't want to." Gai attempted to explain about the jutsu but found himself unable to even begin to form the words for his explanation. After several failed attempts at explaining further Gai tried to figure out a different way to get his point across.

"So you didn't want to insert a knife into your chest, did you intend to aim the knife somewhere else?" Tsunade asked crossing her arms over her ample bosom her mind thinking about the way Gai was answering.

"I thought to slit my throat but that would have been too messy." Gai was mildly horrified that the words had come out of his mouth.

"Why does that thought shock you?" Tsunade's golden eyes studied Gai's body language closely.

"I don't want to die." Gai answered truthfully.

Kakashi had retreated to leaning against the wall; posture still slumped and hands still in his pockets.

"You could have fooled the people assembled in the mission room." Tsunade commented evenly.

"I didn't mean to do anything." Gai tried once again to get out words about the jutsu but he still failed to make himself understood. "I just wanted to hand in my report."

"Gai your report was a blank page."

Sitting on the bed, Gai was quietly trying to figure out some way of communicating what he desperately needed to say.

"Look underneath the underneath." Gai finally hit on something that should help them understand. "I don't want to die. I did not try to kill myself." Speaking slowly Gai hoped he got his message across.

Her golden brows furrowed at the cryptic words, Tsunade looked to Kakashi, hoping he could shed more light on what the black haired jounin meant.

"He's definitely trying to tell us something specific," Kakashi mused, tilting his head to the side slightly more than a little calmed by the fact that Gai was looking restless and irritable. "But he can't for some reason?" he asked, looking to Gai for confirmation. When he got a smile, Kakashi nodded knowingly. "Something happened on the mission that made you stab yourself in the chest?" When Gai gave what one could only assume was a nod, jerky though it was, Kakashi and Tsunade both made relieved sounds. "There must be some kind of technique or something on him...but he can't explain it," the silver haired nin supplied to which his leader nodded.

"This means we have to figure out what it is before we can possibly let him out of here in case he tries to do it again. I'll get a team on it but it could take a while," Tsunade murmured more to Kakashi than to Gai. "It sounds like something Ibiki might use. Maybe he'll know. And you," she snapped, rounding on the dark haired nin. "Don't you ever do that again, against your will or not. You got blood all over the missions' room." Glancing back at Kakashi, Tsunade asked. "Are you staying with him?" When Kakashi nodded, she nodded back in agreement. "Don't forget he has a visitor outside. I swear I've never seen that man so rattled," she murmured before slipping out of the room.

Sitting himself on the very edge of the bed, his posture still very lax, Kakashi glanced at Gai out of the corner of his eye. "I'm sorry but I can't take the restraints off yet. You alright?" he asked casually.

"Nothing can dampen my youthful spirit." Gai responded smiling widely and attempting to give a good guy pose but being severely hampered by restraints he only managed to brighten the room slightly.

"Who is my visitor? You shouldn't keep them waiting if they are anxious, yon rival. I know it isn't my team for they are expected back from their mission for another two months at least." Nodding at his own wisdom Gai waited for Kakashi to see whomever it was in.

When Kakashi opened the door and nodded for him to come in, Iruka stuck his head around the corner and slowly made his way into the room. His uniform was still covered in Gai's blood and his usually dark skin was looking a little pale.

"Hey," Iruka said softly, walking right up to the bed and taking Gai's hand. "You scared me half to death," he murmured, managing a very weak smile. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked, looking at Kakashi for the answer as well but always turning his attention back to Gai. "You...lost a lot of blood," Iruka whispered, rubbing the scar on his nose with his free hand and rubbing his lips together anxiously. The warmth of Gai's hand in his was reminiscent of the blood that had poured over his skin a few hours or so before and made Iruka want to cringe at the memory.

"Never fear most honorable Iruka sensei. I am of a most hearty constitution." Gai tried to laugh heartily and winced slightly as he had a stinging sensation arch across his chest. He was a good enough ninja that only the most skilled observers would have noticed his agitation. "You are not looking so youthful at the moment. Cleanliness is an essential part of the youthful disposition." Feeling as though a change of subject Gai had attempted to be discrete but it wasn't a strong point for him.

At Iruka's very anxious chuckle at Gai's comment, Kakashi rested a hand on his lover's shoulder, knowing that laughing was the last thing Iruka really felt like doing just then. "We tried to get him to go home but he wanted to wait to see you," Kakashi supplied, lifting his eyebrow to emphasize his point.

Iruka was quick to wave Kakashi off, not wanting to sound so serious when Gai really did seem to be his old self. "It's alright. They all told me you were going to be fine but I'm stubborn that way," he added with a smirk. "I am glad you're alright, though," Iruka added, rubbing the back of his head. "I was worried about more than just you bleeding to death. You're one of the only jounin in the village that fills out a full missions report properly."

"How do you feel physically?" Kakashi asked, having noted the slight indications of pain from his rival.

"Never fear valiant Iruka sensei your reports from me shall always be filled out in their entirety and turned in promptly as well." Gai once again attempted a good guy pose but had to settle for an extra wide smile.

"Rival I am most wonderful physically. No injury shall keep me from challenging my most respected rival and upholding my current lead of 65-63."

"No more nice guy poses until the restraints come off," Kakashi ordered, rubbing Iruka's shoulders, glad to feel the knots were finally starting to loosen up as Iruka relaxed. "You should go home and...clean up, Ru," Kakashi suggested, to which Iruka nodded.

"I'll bring you guys something to eat when I come back," Iruka murmured, giving Gai's hand a quick squeeze before getting up and waving.

As he left, Kakashi fell silent for a few moments, regarding his friend idly before shrugging. "Want to play twenty questions? Try to increase your lead?" he offered, never having been all that good at heart to hearts.

"We played a game of wits last time." Gai protested, "I do not wish to repeat challenges types so close together." Conveniently Gai decided to ignore the comment on the nice guy poses as well as ignoring the way his heart had throbbed slightly watching Kakashi and Iruka together.

"You do not have to keep me company I am quite content to occupy myself during my convalescence." Gai spoke cheerfully. "I imagine you have had a long day instructing your squad on the shinobi way and wish to get lost on one of your walks of life."

"I'll stay for a bit," Kakashi murmured, shifting lower on the bed. "Thumb wrestle?"

XXXXXX

"They're not going to keep him there forever, 'Kashi," Iruka purred in the tone that always got him his way. "And you know he shouldn't be going home to an empty house. He's your best friend...and we have the room. We could look after him until they figure out what is wrong with him at the very least." The chuunin nipped at his lover's ear, smirking when Kakashi groaned lustily.

"He's not a pet, Ru. We don't just get to decide to keep him. He has a say in the matter and more importantly it doesn't matter what we say if Tsunade isn't going to let him go."

"He's been in those restraints for two days, Kakashi!" Iruka complained, his chocolate brows furrowing. "even his nice guy pose is getting pretty weak. He's got to get out of there before he actually does go crazy! I..."

Iruka was cut off as a hawk began pecking at their window and he got off Kakashi with a sigh to let it in.

"It's from Tsunade. They think they know what is wrong with him. I'm going back to the hospital for a bit. We can talk more about this later," he murmured, giving Iruka a quick peck to the top of the head before disappearing from the room.

"The death wish," Tsunade proclaimed, turning around a book for Kakashi to see. "It's a very complex jutsu, designed to alter a person's thinking. Here's the problem, it's made to tap into desires the victim has that he wouldn't normally act on. Thoughts and feelings strong enough to trigger the jutsu. This means..."

Kakashi let out a long breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Gai...I don't believe it. How could he want to kill himself? He's the most positive person I know," he breathed, dragging a hand through his silver hair.

"Or maybe none of us know him as well as we thought."  
>xxxxxx<p>

"Hello my rival," Gai tried to imbue his personality and good humor into his voice but he could tell he failed from the way Kakashi was looking at him. "Kakashi?" Gai tilted his head and watched Kakashi's body language. "You seem troubled. Nothing has happened I hope?"

Kakashi stared down at his old friend as if seeing him for the first time, completely at a loss as to what to say. Sighing, Kakashi slowly undid the binding on his friend's wrist. "We've figured out what's wrong but we're not sure how to fix it yet," he left the 'if ever' silent and reached over to undo the other cuff. "Iruka and I were wondering if you wanted to come stay with us for a bit. There are a few... residual things that need addressing. I think Tsunade is just arranging a specialist for you now before she comes down to speak to you."

Kakashi knew that Gai would be just as set against regular sessions with a psych nin as any of the psych staff would be about treating him and he wondered just who Tsunade would be able to rope into helping.

"Oh I would not think to impose on you and your special person." Gai's voice boomed as he attempted to jump from the bed, conveniently forgetting that his feet were strapped down and therefore almost braining himself on the IV pole.

Being a ninja Gai quickly recovered and smiled a bit bashfully. "Besides I would rather not be subject to your enthusiastic displays of youthful tumultousness and intercourse."

Kakashi was tempted to chuckle, not having thought much about how having a guest would interrupt his and Iruka's fun time. Even though they'd been seeing one another for over a year, they still got frisky in some fashion nearly everyday they both were home.

"Well, don't worry about that. You're going to have to stay with someone, might as well be us. Besides, Iruka really wants you to come. Seems to think you're a hurt puppy he gets to look after," he said with a hint of a smirk. "There's some...things that Tsunade will talk to you about. I don't think they're going to let you stay home alone in case the jutsu is still active." Kakashi undid the cuffs on Gai's legs, but held up his hands, gesturing to the man for him to stay down for now.

Gai coughed but sat up and pulled his legs towards his chest stretching the sore muscles. He really didn't want to intrude if he could help it. He would never admit that the thought of his rival and his lover made him get a little hot under the collar. To counter the thought from taking any effect on his frame, Gai started to do sit ups as he thought.

"You have dogs that you can summon for Iruka sensei to play with." Gai finally pointed out pragmatically his tone unusually mild.

"I don't think it has anything to do with dogs, Gai," Kakashi murmured with a smirk, resting a hand on Gai's shoulder to make him stop. "Why don't you just think about it until you hear from Tsunade?" After a moment of silence, Kakashi pulled his hand away and shoved it in his pocket. "Gai...how are you doing? I mean that. Just a straight answer."

"I am in the spring time of my youth and vibrant flowering of the season." Grinning at Kakashi, Gai started to continue to expound on his good health but was interrupted by the entrance of Tsunade.

"I see you are the picture of health." Tsunade commented evenly her eyes taking in Gai's appearance noting that there was still that weird variance in his chakra but no where near as obvious as it had been a few days prior. "Your chakra is still infected by the enemy jutsu. We did however find the name of the jutsu." Tsunade continued to explain the nature of the jutsu but left out the bit about it reacting to emotions and feelings that were already there. "Now then you will have to stay with someone and you can either stay with someone of your own free will or I can choose for you."

When Gai just gave Kakashi a slight frown, Tsunade nodded. "Good then that is decided you will stay with Kakashi for the duration and that makes a few things easier as well. Kakashi and Iruka will be able to monitor your chakra, they will as your guardians so to speak. In order for them to be able to tell when something is wrong with you, I will place a seal on your stomach. It will be set to give regular reporting pulses to Iruka and to a lesser extent Kakashi about your general mental state and well being."

"I would not want to be a bother..." Gai attempted to object but found himself met with two steely expressions.

"Gai we either do this or I put you in full lock down in the psych ward." Raising an eyebrow at Gai she noted his slightly defeated posture and got to work on the seal.

"Good," she said in an almost pleasant tone. "Now... The available psych staff who has told me they have the time for the extensive treatment that you will require...is small. However one name on the list stands out to me," she murmured, flashing the sheet of paper to Kakashi. "If you have no objections, Gai, Iruka-sensei will be your therapist. You will meet with him every day, for as long as he deems necessary. Is that understood?" she asked, making it clear that the therapy was not the part he could object to.

Gai nodded and tried to give some type of upbeat gesture but realized that his heart wasn't in it. Whether he wanted to or not he would be seeing the two people who had some thing he wanted on a regular basis until he was _'cured'_. Feeling the seal pulse slightly at his despair, Gai blinked steadily at the odd sensation. Wearily he began poking at the seal on his stomach noting that it didn't seem to affect his muscles at all.

"Will I be able to train?"

"You won't be allowed to use weapons but you can still do your taijutsu." The Hokage responded evenly having recognized early on that if she didn't allow Gai some physical outlet he would probably be dead within a week.

Kakashi could feel the embarrassment pouring off of Gai and he pitied the man who was easily one of the strongest and smartest ninjas the village had. He'd been reduced to incredibly light duties like this before and it stung the pride.

"Don't worry. With Iruka looking after you you'll be back on your feet in no time. Either that or we'll never be able to get you to move back out," he added teasingly. It wasn't far from the truth though. Iruka had been bringing him his groceries after he'd been injured on a mission when they'd started dating. There was little better in the world than the way his lover looked after people.

"Now why don't we go to your place and gather your things. We can get you settled right away," Kakashi suggested.

"Of course." Gai coughed standing up. With a quick signal he was gone. Reappearing in his apartment, he looked around for what he wanted to take with him.

Then Gai realized a few things pretty quickly, one of which was that while thinking of home he didn't go to the apartment he kept in the jounin block where everyone knew he lived. Gai had purchased his little studio apartment in the red light district on a whim and found that it was a perfect oasis when he just had to be alone for awhile.

The second thing that came to his mind was that Kakashi had no idea where this apartment was and would likely be hunting him soon. Gai did not want anyone under any circumstances to find out about this little haven. Using his world renowned speed which was only slightly dampened by his hospitalization, Gai threw his sleep pants, weights and reading in a bag. He quickly threw in underwear, two spandex suits and some regular civilian wear, with shoes in the bag and jutsued himself back at the hospital.  
>Scratching his head sheepishly he went in search of Kakashi, his duffel bag hooked over his shoulder. While he was at his apartment he had changed into some long black shorts, flip flops and a long sleeved green shirt. The outfit was pretty casual and screamed off duty ninja.<p>

It was ten minutes before Kakashi rematerialized at the hospital, his visible eye twitching slightly as he nodded towards the doors and started trudging slowly towards his home, thinking Gai could use the fresh air. "I had meant we'd walk to your place," he grumbled but didn't give Gai any harder a time.

He and Iruka had both given up their apartments six months ago in favor of moving into his old family estate that sprawled along the hillside. They'd renovated it and fixed it up after years of being abandoned and Iruka had planted cherry trees, flower and vegetables everywhere he could. To Kakashi it was till a stark reminder of finding his father with a sword in his stomach but Iruka had practically had fits when they'd first walked the property and seeing his tan lover making it into their home was quickly banishing the old ghosts.

"There's lots of room so you can have as much space as you want," Kakashi mumbled, still not entirely sure about having someone else in his space, even if it was Gai. As they approached the traditional Japanese dwelling, Kakashi smirked an gave his friend a little elbow as the common sight of a shirtless Iruka moving slowly through Tai chi moves on the stump of the massive tree they'd had removed.

"Yeah, you can expect to be doing a lot of that," Kakashi informed Gai before waving at the chuunin.

Grinning, Iruka hopped down and draped a towel over his shoulders, the hot summer sun making small rivets of sweat run down his forehead and neck.

"Hey boys. I've been apprised of the situation. "We're very glad to have you, Gai," Iruka said with the utmost manners. Iruka had already managed to put away all of the display weapons in the house and put a very complicated locking jutsu on their armory, as well as make up one of the beautiful guest rooms for Gai.

"I'll show you to your room if you'd like to get settled," he offered, giving Kakashi a quick peck on his masked lips before wrapping a bare arm around the tallest jounin's back. "I...like your new look. Is that your choosing or just part of the jutsu?" Iruka asked, giving Gai a good up and down.

"This is just how I look?" Gai frowned at Iruka. "I just pulled my hair back. I don't look different at all."

Shifting his weight so that his duffel bag fell between him and Iruka forcing the other man to let him go, Gai walked beside Iruka. "Wow the gardens are really beautiful. Your home is extraordinarily lovely."

Noting the way the man had deliberately separated himself from him, Iruka tucked his hands behind his back. "Thank you, Gai. I've done a lot of work on them," he said with a smile, not letting Gai's little dismissal bother him at all. It was something that he could ask about in time, once he and Gai had started working together.

Leading the man through to the inner court yard and around the interior decking, Iruka pointed out many of the changes they'd made to the home, especially to the inner courtyard space where Kakashi had found his father. He asked his lover all the time if it bothered him but Kakashi always just smiled and kissed him in response.

"Maybe you could tell me what your usual routine is like so we can set up some of the activities that I think will help you get back to yourself," he murmured, thinking of all the meditating, tai chi and therapy that they'd have to do each day to try to get Gai back in balance.

For a moment Gai tried not to shudder at the thought of what therapeutic activities Iruka was going to attempt to plan. Then a thought occurred to him.

"Can't you just feel my moods through this seal?" Gai tapped the seal on his stomach lightly for emphathsis.

"We can feel it but only when your normal balance is disturbed not so much what has disturbed it." Iruka hedged not letting on that they could also tell to an extent the primary emotion that caused the disturbance. "There is of course a margin set into the seal that doesn't tell us when you are only a little off balance; it has to send a signal through your chakra system to effect the seal."  
>"Oh." Gai thought on that before realizing that he hadn't answered Iruka's questions. "My day is pretty routine normally. I wake at 4am for a protein shake and morning exercises to maintain my youthfulness. Two hundreds laps around the village, pole work and forms. Then I eat breakfast and go train my team or take a mission or two. Then afternoon workouts, free time and bed by 11pm or so."<p>

"Mmm," Iruka hummed, knowing there was no way he was getting up at four to keep an eye on Gai in the mornings. "Well, if you want to keep your morning routine we might have to send one of Kakashi's summons out with you. I'm sure Bull would love the exercise. I know it seems excessive to have to have someone around you all the time but we just have to make sure that nothing happens to trigger the jutsu again when we're not around. If you hadn't been surrounded by ninja in the missions' office you probably would have bled out."

Sliding open the door to Gai's room, Iruka gestured him inside. "You'll be taken off your team for the time being. I think Raidou is going to take them over for now so they're in excellent hands. After breakfast we'll do two hours of traditional therapy and half an hour to an hour of elective therapy. After lunch would be a good time for your down time or personal time. Before dinner we'll do an hour more of traditional therapy and after dinner you can either have to yourself or most nights Kakashi and I would really enjoy it if you joined us. We usually just watch a movie or play games but I think ti would be great if you could join us."

Smiling weakly, Iruka sighed in understanding. "I know it's a change but look at it like a vacation, a chance to reset your mind and your body, which everyone needs. even someone who stays in the kind of shape you do."

Not wanting to be rude to his host, Gai gave a general mumble of some polite phrasing as he poked at his room. It was nice and spacious with a bed and a small table with floor cushions. They had passed the bathroom he could use on their way towards this room.

"Thank you for your hospitality and I will try not to be a bother while I am here." Gai bowed formally to Iruka and mentally hoped he left so Gai could attempt to get comfortable in his surroundings as well as set up some wards and traps around his room. He wasn't among the most paranoid ninja but he didn't just stay somewhere and not take extra precautions.

In all the times that Iruka has spent time with Gai in groups he'd never felt so dismissed before. It worried him in a sense; he'd agreed to give up his teaching to work with Gai because he thought the man was comfortable with him.

When he came back to the main room at the front of the house, Iruka's chocolate brows were knitted and he flopped right on top of Kakashi in the chair his lover was reading a book in.

"Frustrated with him already?" Kakashi asked, running his hand up and down Iruka's naked back as he pretended to keep reading his green book.

"No, I just... may have made a miscalculation about the nature of our friendship. But it might be better that way if I'm going to be poking and prodding at the most intimate parts of his life," Iruka sighed, nuzzling Kakashi's hair and reading over his lover's shoulder. "Maybe he's still just a bit shell shocked," Iruka surmised, to which Kakashi hummed in agreement.

Finishing up his warding of the room, Gai unpacked his things and then set about going for a nice brisk walk around the premises to give himself some thing to focus on besides the fact that Iruka would like be poking at him for the foreseeable future. Hopping out the guest room window, Gai found himself walking deep within the flower garden before laying down in one of the rows. Taking deep breathes Gai tried to meditate and achieve some form of peace.

Rubbing his stomach and humming lightly, Gai let his chakra system flow as it will. Escaping into his own mind for a while, Gai belatedly wondered what would happen to his carefully crafted eating regimen now that he was under house arrest and doing what equated to rehab.

"Kakashi put your book down and go find him. I'm going to start dinner. Do you know if he doesn't like certain things or has any allergies?"

Groaning and shaking his head, Kakashi hauled himself to his feet, heading out the back door an out towards the defensive marker in the gardens that Gai had set off. When he found the man lying between two big blooming flower beds he kicked off his sandals and lay down beside him.

"At least for a couple of days just let us know when you're taking off, okay?" Kakashi murmured, tucking his hands behind his hair. "What are you thinking about all of this?" he asked casually, determined to leave the real counseling to Iruka.

"I didn't leave the property." Gai pointed out helpfully as he brought himself back from his meditation. "Considering the security wards you have set up I doubt you would ever not know where I am on the property but if that is what you wish I will respect that."

Sitting up he popped his neck and stretched his arms out lightly. He didn't like the fact that he wasn't currently wearing any weights but he respected his body's limits and didn't want to unduly strain them.

"I don't really have many thoughts on this arrangement other than the necessity of it to maintain my spring time bloom longer." Gai gave a slight shrug before flipping himself into a handstand. Letting all the blood go to his head Gai slowly lowered himself into a crouching position. "If Iruka sensei believes he can assist me then I will do my best to cooperate with his prescribed treatment."

_"Not like it will work. You will still be a third wheel. It would be so much better if you were dead."_Guy squashed that traitorous thought, more than a little exasperated with the fact that where before the thoughts had been spoken in someone else's voice and now those words had been in his. Frowning, Gai jumped up and shook himself out to loosen up his joints. One of the reasons Gai wasn't big on meditating or sitting still voluntarily for long periods of time was his joints tendency to lose some of their springiness.

It had been small but Kakashi had felt it, a flickering across Gai's seal just before he'd jumped back to his feet. Kakashi debated mentioning it but decided to just make a mental note of it and mention it to Iruka. Clearly Gai wasn't in any danger at the moment with him right there.

Nodding, Kakashi pulled a few of the bright yellow blossoms from one of the plants and inhaled the scent. "I think Iruka is starting dinner. If there's anything in particular you don't want to have you should go tell him now," Kakashi warned.

For a moment Gai was torn between being extremely polite about the food situation and being more hands on. Walking slowly towards the house, Gai made his way into the kitchen where Iruka was cooking. Smiling, Gai observed Iruka at work before offering his services.

"Would you like some assistance?" Gai asked and when Iruka declined but asked him about his favorite foods Gai was quick to answer. "Curry and anything spicy really. I don't like anything greasy or watery."

Smirking softly at how quickly Gai had responded, Iruka made a mental note to add a little wasabi to the salad that evening. "We actually eat a lot of raw foods. 'Kashi got used to them for when he can't have fires on missions. If things aren't to your tastes don't be afraid to tell me. I love to cook to I'm more than happy to play with different recipes to find something that works for you. We really want you to feel at home here," Iruka added, taking the very sharp knife out of it's holder in the drawer and carefully sliding it through the fresh tuna he'd gotten at the market. "Actually if you wanted to help you could wash up the cucumbers and the leeks," Iruka said with a smile, liking having someone in the kitchen with him. "How is your room? If you don't like that futon we can bring yours over later," he offered, trying to get a read on how Gai was feeling at this point.

Washing off the leeks and cucumbers Gai smiled at Iruka. "I couldn't ask for a better room. Thank you for your hospitality. Raw foods are fine I never have really tried the macrobiotic diet of that sort so I look forward to observing your cooking style."

Gai purposefully avoided looking at Iruka as he cut the tuna. Something about watching Iruka's fingers work Gai found more interesting then was appropriate. Initially Gai had wondered if it was the knife itself that he found most interesting but the knife, though wickedly sharp, held no appeal outside of the knowledge of where it was in case he needed a weapon to fight with.

As Iruka continued to pepper him with questions Gai answered thoughtfuly but avoided looking at Iruka directly if he could help it. The thoughts he had about Iruka were troubling to Gai because he believed that he was some how sullying something sacred by having those type of thoughts about his rival's boyfriend.

When Iruka had finished the meal, Gai helped set the table and arrange the food. Kakashi appeared shortly afterwards. As the three settled down Gai contemplated his plate thoughtfully, trying to figure out where to start. Like most ninja, Gai had an iron stomach but new foods still gave him pause. Wielding his chopsticks thoughtfully, Gai began to systematically eat his food. His gaze stayed on his plate but he did look at Iruka to speak.

"You are a most excellent chef." Gai gave Iruka a bright smile before continuing his meal.

His face furrowing in amusement at the way that Gai was quite literally keeping his head down, Iruka shot Kakashi a confused glance to which his silver haired lover just shrugged.

"Thank you, Gai," Iruka replied, pleased that his meal had passed the test. "I'll make something a bit spicier tomorrow. We could use a bit of variety in our diet, couldn't we, Kashi?" Iruka asked with a wide grin, knowing that Kakashi was pretty particular about what he ate too. In fact, most of his jounin friends were; his chuunin companions would eat just about anything.

"So one thing the house came with is an amazing library and it's not just filled with orange porn books," Iruka teased, elbowing Kakashi and giving Gai one of his dazzling smiles. "There are books there on everything if you'd rather just take a book somewhere quiet. I know he's not much fun," Iruka murmured, grinning when Kakashi flicked a piece of cucumber salad at him.

"Hey, I'm fun," Kakashi said indignantly. "It's my night to pick a movie so it's action night," Kakashi said, a bit of food disappear from his chopsticks without his mask seeming to have moved at all.

"I will be sure to wander into the library later and then make myself scarce." Gai chuckled quietly at Kakashi still wearing his mask in his own home. Quickly finishing his food, Gai excused himself determined to make himself scarce in order not to intrude on their couple time. Taking Iruka's comment to heart, Gai went into the library determined to find something to distract him. Not being someone who read for pleasure at all, Gai looked for something that he would find educational and was a bit mortified that he ended up with a gay sex manual in hand. While Gai had no problem writing about the more creative images his mind provided him with it was an entirely different matter to have it broken down so clinically.

Almost throwing it back on the bookshelf, Gai went around the library once more until he found an old fashioned romance. Slightly embarrassed about his choice but at the same time needing to know that other people's romantic aspirations worked out, Gai took his book and retreated to his room. Shifting the wards up and laying on the futon on his stomach, Gai soon lost himself in the story of Petals and her love, Rushmore.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Relations between Senseis  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> (KakaIru, GaiIru, KakaGai with eventual GaiKakaIru )  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M for Sex, Violence and Mature themes  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Attempted Suicide, Violence, Polyamorous Relationship  
><strong>Summary:<strong> There is a lot more to Maito Gai then meets the eye and unfortunately it takes some bad things happening before Kakashi and Iruka realize it. (Summary not so great but story is better)  
><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This was written with the assistance of the lovely Hiashi who helped me pull this together. This was written in response to a prompt from one of the kink memes. Of course now that I have written this I can't find the blasted prompt. Anyway the prompt asked for Kakashi/Iruka in a relationship with Gai. The main point of the prompt was that Gai wasn't the but of some joke but actually a serious part of the relationship. So this is in the beginning stages and I hope ya'll give it a chance.

**Disclaimer for all Chapters hereafter:**I don't own Naruto and make no profit off of this.

"He's very different than I thought he'd be," Iruka murmured softly as the cliche action movie began to unfold, their voices covered up by the sounds from the TV. "He seems so...uncomfortable and shy. He's never like that when we go out," he murmured, teasing his fingers along Kakashi's and kissing the pads of the digits as Kakashi's other hand pulled out his hair and stroked the chocolate locks.

"Gai is different from most people think, myself included." Kakashi rubbing Iruka's scalp thoughtfully. "He acts very exuberant and gregarious in public because it is easier for him to hide in a group. Now that I think about it, his outrageous outfits and his routines keep people from really noticing anything he does." Tilting his head back he thought some more.

"I don't know him as well as I think I do and that is a problem. I think I am starting to figure out why Lee is always with him though. Not necessarily because he emulates Gai but because they are alike, lonely. What is Gai going to do though when Lee stays in Suna as an ambassador?" Now Kakashi was really a little worried.

Iruka was tempted to tease Kakashi for caring but quickly thought better of it. "I think it would be a really good opportunity for not only us to get to know him better while he's staying here but try to get him more comfortable socializing in general." Cuddling Kakashi's arm to the side of his face, Iruka sighed morosely. "The idea of him being depressed and lonely is even more heartbreaking than it is with other people. I really want to help him, Kashi."

"I know you are a bit of a bleeding heart." Kakashi teased lightly before a mental note flashed to the front of his mind's eye. "Bye the way when he was out in the garden his seal flashed and sent out a pulse of exasperation. It was oddly timed and seemed to be around the time he had just finished settling his thoughts."

Thinking for a moment, Kakashi wondered at something. "I don't think socializing is necessarily the problem. He has no problem actually talking to people and when he needs to he dials down his flamboyant approach. People genuinely like him because he is constant or well he was." Leaving off the obvious downer, Kakashi kissed Iruka on the forehead. "I think it may be more one on one or small group interactions he has trouble with. He can speak fine to those in higher age brackets and younger ones but its own that he has trouble."

"Mmm, well we should have Rai and Gen over while he's here. Let the three of them get to know one another better. I'm sure I could tell Raidou to make sure Gai isn't getting pushed to the edge of the conversation."

Grinning and arching his back so he could reach up and kiss Kakashi, Iruka wrapped his arms around his lover's neck. "And I know I'm a bleeding heart. That's why you love me. That and the thing I can do with my tongue." Giggling, when Kakashi's hand slid under his shirt and started petting insistently, Iruka hummed softly in pleasure, letting Kakashi's hands roam and touch to their content. "Mmm, Koi, we probably...ungh...should wait..." he breathed, pressing up into Kakashi's touches.

Having finished the short romance, Gai felt good, his faith in the enduring romance was restored. As he quietly made his way through the house, Gai made sure not to make any noise. He kept his chakra noticeable because he was in some one else home and he knew it would be impolite to try to sneak in someone else's house. As he moved past the living room, the sight of Iruka and Kakashi making out on the couch, held him momentarily riveted.

Iruka gasped and arched as Kakashi sucked and licked at his neck, the pale hands pulling insistently at his yukata. He absolutely knew they shouldn't be doing this in such an open place when they had company but Kakashi's touch never failed to make him forget his manners and common sense.

The full, cinnamon lips parted in gasps and breathy sighs as Kakashi tugged gently on his hair, making Iruka's tan body arch into him seductively.

"Unnngh...Kashi... we shouldn't..." he breathed, grinding up against Kakashi when his lover chuckled.

"That's why it's fun," Kakashi rasped back, rolling his hips against Iruka's clad lower half and smoothing his hands down Iruka's shoulders as he tried to free his lover's arms from the robe. "Just a quickie," begged softly, doubting that Iruka would play to his exhibitionist kink this evening.

Iruka had half a mind to comply but when he opened his eyes as Kakashi's teeth sank into his skin he caught a glimpse of Gai watching them. It didn't bother Iruka that much being seen but he was surprised to feel the strong wave of arousal coming off their guest. His gaze met with Gai's and despite not being embarrassed, Iruka's cheeks flamed as he tried to get his arms back into his sleeves and not alert Kakashi as to Gai's presence. In an instant the arousal was gone, replaced by shame before Gai's presence was carefully muted.

Gai retreated back to his room resolving to put the book back later. Wondering if they would need more privacy, Gai went to his room and slipped on his sleeping pants before taking a pillow and blanket. Going outside, Gai set up a little nest for himself in the flower garden careful not to disturb any of the defense tags or shields. He was content to look at the stars. One day there would be someone for him, he knew it in his romantic heart.

As the doubts came Gai tried to suppress them but found it hard to ignore the whispers. He was so use to them now that he just listened. Hearing something didn't mean he had to believe it. A tear still fell from his eye as he listened. Embarrassment and shame still went through him at what he had witnessed.

Trying to bring his emotions back under some modicum of control Gai thought about the past. When he had first met Kakashi and been attracted to him and not sure why. With puberty had come the acceptance that Kakashi would never see Gai as anything. Not wanting to lose Kakashi's regard Gai had instituted their rivalry. Using pomp and circumstance as well as annoyance tactics to get Kakashi to do what he wanted.

In a weird way it had been Gai's way of getting some sort of affection from Kakashi even if it was usually brutality and scorn. Waving it off with a smile and a ready response, Gai had tried not to let Kakashi's comments get to him but some had still struck a chord. Finding out Kakashi and Iruka were seeing each other had almost crippled Gai because he now knew that any chance he ever had was gone.

Iruka was like the sex symbol that Gai could never aspire to have but would watch and admire with everyone else. The sensual movements, the volatile and fiery personality all combined with a body that was as unique as it was perfection.

Being in a house with the two men was such an exquisite torture and Gai had thought he would be okay but seeing them...

Abruptly Gai couldn't sleep and he had no intention of going back into the house while the two could still be busy. Figuring that running in barefoot would just be a way to test his resolve, Gai stood and was careful not to disturb any of the wards.

Physical activity calmed him down and now as he ran quietly through the woods, Gai contemplated his situation. As he ran he found that tears still feel from his eyes and he still felt genuinely unlovable but he was calming down. The depressed feelings were going away.

Slowing his run to a stop, Gai recalled that he hadn't told either of his hosts where he was going or even indicated that he was leaving. Rebellion warred in his head but Gai knew it was all for his own good in the end. Turning to head back, Gai realized that he was being studied by Raidou.

"Oh hello." Gai smiled brightly at a slightly puzzled looking Raidou.

"Aren't you supposed to be under lock and key at Kakashi's house?" Raidou asked raising an eyebrow at him.

"I was heading back there." Gai responded as he realized that he was still in only his sleeping pants with no shoes on.

"I'll walk you." Raidou offered for the first time actually getting to appreciate the fact that Gai was pretty damn good looking.

"That isn't necessary." Gai frowned lightly.

"Of course it is. I need to know how I have to train your students." Raidou sighed. "Even though from what I understand they have some serious conditioning."

"When you have used all your weapons, then you only have your body left." Gai responded, as Raidou fell into step with them on the walk back. Talking about his students was something that Gai enjoyed doing.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

It had only taken a minute for Iruka to get Kakashi to calm down. He'd been ready to get up to make sure Gai was alright when a sickening wave of emotions that weren't his own crashed down upon him. He could tell that Kakashi too was feeling them from the uncomfortable look on his his lover's face. Iruka winced at the hopeless feelings that filled him and buried his face in Kakashi's shoulder.

"God, Kashi," Iruka murmured, fanning his face when his eyes started to well up. "He's so lonely. It's horrible." Iruka clenched a hand over his heart, wondering now if he was going to be able to handle feeling someone else's emotional pain when he was so sensitive. Not to mention he knew that as much as Kakashi cared and was feeling the same thing, his lover wasn't exactly the hand holding type. It had taken Kakashi falling in love with him deeply for the silver haired jounin to give Iruka the emotional support he needed but Iruka knew that Kakashi wasn't like that with anyone else.

"If anyone can help him it's you, Ru-chan," Kakashi reassured, pecking his lover's temple. "Do you think there's someone...you could set him up with? I mean, I think there are a few ninja women that could handle him. He could even be good with a civilian with how polite he is."

Shaking his head at how clueless his lover was, Iruka was thinking about informing Kakashi about Gai's orientation when he felt the man take off. Sitting bolt upright, Iruka looked at Kakashi with wide, panicked eyes.

"I'll send Pakkun after him," Kakashi murmured, quickly summoning his friend while trying to sooth his worried lover's nerves.

"Yo," the little pug barked, holding up a paw and frowning at the expression his lover's mate was wearing. "What did you do now, Boss?" the dog asked, cocking his wrinkly head to the side.

"It's not me. It's Gai. He was out in the gardens and decided to go get some exercise. Could you go after him, make sure everything is okay?"

The pug snorted and shook his wrinkly face. "He's so fast..." he complained, rolling his eyes when Kakashi gave him a "get to it" look. "Fine, but I want steak when I get home," he grumbled before sniffing around to get Gai's scent and taking off.

XXXXXXX

Iruka stood on the front deck by the front door, pulling at his loose hair as he paced up and down the scrubbed wood planks. To his horror Pakkun had come back and grumbled sheepishly that he'd lost the scent in the woods but he had smelt blood on Gai's trail. Kakashi had summoned the rest of his pack and headed off to look for him, leaving Iruka to his nerves.

When Iruka finally saw the dark haired jounin returning with Raidou along side him, he couldn't express his relief and sent a chakra signal to Kakashi to let him know the crisis was averted.

"Hi Rai," Iruka said with a smile, doing his best to appear serene. "Gai...consider this your one warning. You scare me again by taking off like that and you're getting the same temper that everyone else gets, okay?" he asked, giving Gai a stern look he usually saved for his students or Kakashi when he was flirting with the line of acceptability.

Blushing so badly he was pretty sure it went all the way down, Gai gave Iruka a formal bow. "I am sorry to have frightened you, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Raidou watched Gai and tilted his head slightly. Looking at the tan back that was muscled to an extent most people weren't aware was possible with a light blush running down towards the edge of the pants, caused him to temporarily ignore the fact that some thing was bothering him. Then it hit him and had Raidou studying Iruka what had happened that would cause Gai to leave the house in the middle of the night, ill equipped and cause panic in Iruka.

"I am sure you meant well." Raidou spoke thoughtfully before excusing himself. "I must be going Genma will be getting restless. Gai-dono thank you for the information, I really appreciate it. If you want to run later just summon me" Nodding to Iruka once, Raidou walked away.

Gai stood awkwardly for a moment before beginning to make his way around the house to the garden.

Sighing out some of the tension he'd been holding, Iruka held out a hand for Gai, helping him up onto the porch. It was then that he noticed the cuts on the tall nin's feet. "Oh for the love of...you jounin. There are better way to handle things than masochism," he grumbled, giving Gai a very firm look. "Do not move," he ordered, stomping back into the house and returning a minute later with a basin of water and a first aid kit.

"Sit!" Iruka ordered, not leaving any room for objection. Pulling Gai's pants up to his knees, Iruka began slowly washing the nin's feet, a blush painting his tan cheeks as his temper cooled.

"I apologize, Gai. I really didn't mean for you to see us like that but unfortunately Kakashi is a horny little freak and I tend to indulge his whims more than I should. It won't happen again." Iruka's big brown eyes looked up at Gai from under his lashes as he ran the cloth along Gai's calf. "I promise you, we'll always be in our rooms with the door closed for anything that isn't tame enough for teenagers, okay?" he asked with a small smile. "Still, next time you're upset like that, please don't just bolt. We were so worried."

"It is your home and I said I would not intrude on you in your activities." Gai responded politely hoping Iruka would finish so he could hide out in his room or in the garden. With any luck Kakashi wouldn't be back in time to see this. Gai knew Kakashi was protective of Iruka and would not take kindly to being interrupted when he was in the middle of getting some. Iruka soon enough had Gai's feet suitably taken care of.

"You shouldn't be embarrassed that you love someone enough to show it. For that is the beauty of youth." Smiling serenely at Iruka, Gai flexed himself to his feet. "I appreciate your courtesy as always. Good night, Iruka sensei."

Iruka gave his eyes an exaggerated roll, snagged Gai's arm and used the taller man to pull himself to his feet. "Okay, I think we need to get a couple of things clear," Iruka murmured, leading the way slowly through the home, checking to make sure his expertly applied bandages would hold.

"First of all, you can just call me Iruka," the brunet murmured, giving Gai a look that told him to loosen up just a little. "Secondly, when you're here, I want you to think of this house as your home too. I know it's your first day and Kakashi and I just had to put on a show for you but I really do want you to feel at ease here. You're more than just a guest, okay?"

At the door to the room, Iruka poked his head inside, gesturing to the table near the futon. "I picked out some more books for you if you like. I even snagged one of the Hatake clan's ancient taijutsu books for you. Might have a couple of family secrets that even you haven't picked up yet," he said with a grin. "Good night, Gai-kun. Sleep well. Bull will go running with you in the morning. Kakashi and I will most assuredly still be in bed at four."

Nodding meekly, Gai closed the door and then activated the wards in the room before slipping out into the garden. Lying back down on the futon roll he had placed out there, he looked at the sky and thought for a while. When sleep finally claimed him it was a welcome relief.

"So is he okay?" Kakashi asked as he pulled off his clothes and crawled into bed beside Iruka, pulling the shorter body wards him firmly, not minding as two of his dogs decided that they were sleeping with the couple tonight too.

"Yeah, but no more really friskiness anywhere but here, okay?" Iruka murmured, kissing his lover's neck and cuddling into him tightly. When Kakashi's hands slid down to his ass, Iruka growled softly and poked the pale man in the ribs. "Tomorrow morning when Gai is out. I promise. Now sleep."


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Relations between Senseis  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> (KakaIru, GaiIru, KakaGai with eventual GaiKakaIru )  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M for Sex, Violence and Mature themes  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Attempted Suicide, Violence, Polyamorous Relationship  
><strong>Summary:<strong> There is a lot more to Maito Gai then meets the eye and unfortunately it takes some bad things happening before Kakashi and Iruka realize it. (Summary not so great but story is better)  
><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This was written with the assistance of the lovely Hiashi who helped me pull this together. This was written in response to a prompt from one of the kink memes. Of course now that I have written this I can't find the blasted prompt. Anyway the prompt asked for Kakashi/Iruka in a relationship with Gai. The main point of the prompt was that Gai wasn't the but of some joke but actually a serious part of the relationship. So this is in the beginning stages and I hope ya'll give it a chance.

**Disclaimer for all Chapters hereafter:**I don't own Naruto and make no profit off of this.

Gai was up and in his spandex suit, ready to go when Bull made his way towards him. 100 laps in and Bull collapsed. Blinking down at the enormous dog, Gai jogged in place.

"Are you alright?" Gai asked the summons who for all intents and purposes looked as though he was dying. "I can carry you if you like?"

At this point Bull summoned his pride and made it 50 more laps before he couldn't even see straight anymore. In a brief panic over what to do, Gai picked Bull up and ran him to the nearest Inuzuka clinic.

"Gai you are almost back to normal." Hana observed before noticing the half dead animal on his back. Almost immediately Bull was rushed away and Gai sat on a chair waiting patiently. He didn't want to earn Iruka's wrath and that meant staying until Bull was well.

Four hours later, he found out that Bull had essentially had a severe case of dehydration and exhaustion. Combined with the fact that Bull wasn't in the best shape physically to be running with Gai he had suffered a minor case of heat stroke. Getting the medicine for Bull, Gai felt horrible. The two of them took it really slow on the way back to the house. Gai felt so bad he brought Bull a steak.

When they finally made it back, Gai categoricaly gave up on the idea of completing his morning routine if only because he doubted Iruka would believe his excuses anyway. He really didn't want to do therapy or tai chi or meditate. Of course, it was for the best but Gai still didn't have to like it.

Iruka was pretty annoyed that Gai had been gone all morning when they'd been supposed to start Gai's therapy today. When he heard the man finally return, Iruka made his way into the kitchen to find Bull licking languidly at one of the cheap steaks that they kept around for the pack.

"Oh you big, fat suck," Iruka cooed, kneeling down to rub the dog's belly. "And what did you do to earn that?" Looking up at Gai, Iruka checked his watch. "I suppose it doesn't matter what order things fall in the day but be aware that if we're not working a certain amount each day Tsunade might have you moved back to the hospital," Iruka murmured in a cautioning tone. "And I just don't think I could stand that so we'll have to get started this afternoon. What kept you out so long?" Iruka asked, standing up and pulling out some things to make lunch from the fridge.

More than a little embarrassed Gai explained, "I had to take Bull to the vet because he collapsed during my training. I told him to rest but he insisted on doing my laps with me and then we had to wait for him to get fluids back into his system and for his body to cool down enough so we could leave."

Iruka's only reaction he could come up with was to laugh, especially with the way Gai was acting so sheepishly.

"Oh Bull," he chortled; now noticing how exhausted the big dog seemed. "Awwwww, poor fatty. We'll have to tell Kakashi how out of shape you are," he cooed, scratching the bull dog's stomach.

"I'm sorry, Gai. I thought he'd be able to keep up with you," Iruka chuckled, noting just how hard Gai must have been going to wear the big dog out so severely. Bull gave him a look that only made Iruka chuckle more, knowing he would probably be in the same state if he tried to keep up with Gai's morning regiment. "Don't worry about a thing. They're summons, they're tough. Come on. Let's leave him to his steak and have something to eat."

Iruka brought out some fruit salad he'd made for breakfast and set out some light meats and vegetables, knowing Gai would probably want to eat light after his morning.

"Is there a place in the house or the yards that you seem most comfortable with?" Iruka asked politely, knowing very well that Gai had chose to sleep outside in the gardens the night before. "We could get started with our sessions there so you feel more at ease."

"The gardens." Gai spoke calmly. Bit by bit he ate certain vegetables and meats mentally calculating their values in his head as well as the proper amounts need for the activities he had engaged in. Finishing up the main portion of his meal he studied the fruit salad thoughtfully for a while before picking out certain pieces to eat. Nibbling on his food, Gai looked outside and contemplated other things to keep him occupied and hopefully sane. When he was done he put down his chopsticks and waited for Iruka.

Iruka was amazed at watching Gai eat how careful the man seemed about his intake. He even felt a little self conscious when he was still eating and Gai was finished.

"You know what; let's just leave the mess for now. I'll get it later. Go make yourself comfortable and I'll be right out," Iruka said with an encouraging smile. He quickly put the very perishable food away and grabbed his notebook before padding out into the the lightly shaded back yard.

"Alright. There are a lot of things that I think we could go over but I think it's best to let you start. I want you to think of me as either your doctor or your friend, which ever makes it easier for you to talk to me. Is there anything right off the bat that you know you want to discuss?" he asked, picking a spot against a rock to lean against as he opened his book and rested it on his thighs.

For a while Gai pondered the question. Realizing that he wasn't sure where to start he figured he would ask a question. Narrowing down the questions was a daunting process though so Gai lay on his stomach and slowly did push ups while he thought. Finally a thought struck.

"Where would you like me to start Iruka sensei?"

Cocking his head to the side as he watched Gai start to work out again, Iruka nodded at his decision.

"Okay, why don't we start with what you're doing right now, Gai," Iruka pointed out. "You seem to work out... a lot. In fact you seem to defer a lot of your life for working out. Now I completely understand that in what you do, your body is your weapon, but do you really think you need to be doing push ups right now? I'm not being sarcastic when I ask if you're capable of just sitting and relaxing, even if what you're doing is uncomfortable."

"I'm doing push ups because I think better when I'm moving. I also didn't finish my morning work out so it serves a duel purpose" Gai answered Iruka's question honestly and considered his last question thoughtfully. "I can sit and relax but I have to be doing some thing with my hands or my mouth."

Iruka had to be very careful to control his expression at Gai's last statement. "Hands or mouth, huh?" Iruka murmured more to himself as he made a quick note in his book. As he watched Gai's body move up and down Iruka was astonished at how his body started to react. Suddenly he felt the need to move and squirm too.

"Tell me what you do everyday for exercise," Iruka asked, crossing his legs and clearing his throat, trying to keep himself focused on the task at hand.

"What was I doing the day before? No wait..." Gai asked immediately because to him it is a legitimate question. His workout times were generally very regulated but his regime was subject to change regularly to keep his body guessing and always improving. "I switch up a lot to keep my fast twitch muscles engaged even though I have reconfigured most of my muscle make up. So the answer to your question is it varies."

"Okay..." Iruka started, realizing that getting Gai to really talk to him was going to be even worse than when he and Kakashi had started being friends.

"On an average day, outside of working with your team and missions, how many hours usually do you spend training?" he asked, making a couple more notes.

"Four hours or five." Gai answered immediately.

Nodding, Iruka wrote down his response. "That's a little higher than average but not all together unheard of. Now, say you or your team didn't have a mission. How many hours of exercise would you get with your team?" he asked, having a sneaking suspicion that unlike Kakashi, Gai would be doing everything that his team was doing only twice as hard.

"Good question." Gai started doing one armed push ups while scratching his chin with his unoccupied hand. "Usually they would arrive at about nine physical works and sparring in the morning which would be about four hours. Then after lunch, theoretical and strategy work. Some times games and weapons practice. Usually that is another four hours, maybe six depending on who joins."

Nodding Iruka leaned back against the rock, shaking his head when he realized he was staring at Gai's muscular shoulders as the taut body lifted and lowered.

"And what do you like to do outside of working out. Tell me about the hobbies that you enjoy on a daily basis," Iruka asked, noting he hadn't asked exactly how much Gai did during his four or five hour personal work outs.

"I..." Gai frowned thoughtfully and as he opened his mouth to list his hobbies he realized that some weren't exactly what Iruka probably had in mind. Switching arms Gai continued his push ups before speaking again. "I write and I also can build weapons."

"Good, those are both excellent hobbies. Creative and cathartic. We'll talk more about those in a second but I just thought I'd point something out first. Gai, when was the last time you took a good look at yourself?" Iruka asked, glad when the man's incessant push ups paused.

"You are in amazing shape. Some would say superhuman shape. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to put more time into your hobbies and a little less into working out. Have you ever thought about offering instruction on making weapons or joining a writing group?" Iruka asked, trying to gauge Gai's interest in being around people.

"I don't work out every day." Gai was slightly confused. He didn't put more time into working out then he had to. He liked being in shape because it was something that he had going for him. He knew that in terms of facial beauty he was never going to win any awards.

Latching on to the last part of what Iruka had said, Gai stopped doing push ups and sat crossed legged in front of Iruka. "I teach people how to make weapons and I would never want to join a writing group."

To Gai his writing was not some thing that he wanted to take the chance that anyone recognized. In all actuality he wrote a very popular romance series. In the series he got out all the romantic gestures and ideas that he would have loved to use on some one. Gai figured that if he couldn't use them than someone else might as well.

Worried he'd offended Gai, Iruka sighed softly. It wasn't usually this hard to make himself understood. He didn't seem to be picking up on Gai's subtext and the fit jounin certainly wasn't reading between his lines.

"Would you tell me about your writing? Poetry? Fiction? Have you been doing it for long? Why does it appeal to you?"

Of all the topics Iruka could have cottoned onto he would pick the one that sent Gai into a mini tail spin. "I don't like to talk about my writing." Gai tried to squash the anxious feeling but he was failing big time. Standing up, Gai began to pace in an attempt to calm himself down. "It allows my ideas to be heard and I guess that's why I like it."

Sighing, Iruka underlined yet another topic that he'd have to work his way into. "Gai, I do understand that it's terrible to have to speak about the intimate details of your life against your will but you do know that everything you say to me is in strict confidence. I have to report to Tsunade on your progress but she doesn't need to know any details unless I think you're going to hurt yourself or someone else." He tried to smile reassuringly, praying that Gai would loosen up for him a bit.

"Can you tell me a bit about your friends, Gai? Do you spend much time with them?" he asked, knowing that Gai and Kakashi didn't spend much time together outside of group gatherings and Gai's challenges.

"Sure." Gai relaxed a bit and smiled. "I enjoy Raidou's company when he has time. Anko, Ibiki and I get along fairly well most of the time as well. I spend time with Lee and Naruto too." The thought of Lee and Naruto made Gai chuckle lightly because of the way they all interacted. The outcasts that yearned to be acknowledged, they were all his friends. "I see them all for some period of time at least a few times a week. Not so much lately because of missions though."

"It can be hard to get together with everyone when missions get into our schedules and routines. I hear Lee has been spending a lot of time with the Kazekage," Iruka added with a grin. "I know what it's like when a friend is away for long periods of time."

Pausing to look down at the names he'd written down, Iruka chuckled at the randomness of the group. "I'd like to discuss why you're close with each of them but I'm curious, you didn't list Kakashi in that group. I can tell he that certainly thinks of you as a friend."

Not sure how to explain why Kakashi didn't fit into the friends group, Gai continued with the first part of the question first. "I taught Raidou how to make weapons and he has always been someone that I can be around. Anko and I get along because I don't mind that she is absolutely insane most of the time and cuddly the next moment."

"Ibiki is one of the funniest people I have ever met. Naruto has so much determination that I have always helped him in one way or another. Lee I have known his entire life and watched him grow up. I am proud that I can talk to him man to man." Smiling happily at the memory of his friends those that he cared about unconditionally and he knew in their own way adored him. Then Gai remembered the rest of the question.

"Kakashi is my rival." Shrugging because that was all there really was to it.

Iruka was floored by Gai's answer about Kakashi. Every day that Kakashi and Gai spent any time together Iruka heard about it and usually had a chuckle about it with his lover. And it was rarely at Gai's expense. He was probably Kakashi's best friend now but outside of that Gai would be Kakashi's simplest response to that question.

"Huh," Iruka mused, surprised that Gai seemed to be better socialized than he'd expected, assuming the man was being being completely forthcoming. From the previous night he'd thought Gai would be more the type that was actually standoffish when it came to people.

"So Ibiki is funny," he recovered, not wanting Gai to get the wrong idea. "I never would have guessed," he added with a grin. "Now what about relationships? Do you date much, Gai?" Iruka asked, surprised that in all the time that he'd known Gai that he couldn't remember Gai out with anyone more than once.

"Not often no." Gai had no problem admitting that his dating life was close to non existent. "I don't really have anyone that I can date." Shrugging in weary acceptance, Gai waited for the next question and hoped this would be over soon.

Pursing his lips, Iruka noted Gai's distaste for the question. "There's always someone to date, Gai. Sometimes the people you don't expect make the best partners. Do you find it gets to you? Not dating much?"

Setting his book aside, Iruka smiled disarmingly at Gai. "I barely dated at all for years, you know. In fact I lived a pretty small existence for a lot of years when Naruto was my student and when he was working with Kakashi. Most of the time outside of teaching and working the missions desk I spent most of my time marking at home. I'd manage a night out one or two nights a month but I never realized how much it was getting to me until I actually started spending more time with other people. I thought it was normal to feel so isolated and unhappy. If you're really interested in dating I'm sure there are more than a few people who would be interested in you. I've used that excuse too, though. No risk, no reward."

Scuffing his shoes Gai tried to figure out how to explain that he did date, and then realizing he may as well own his relationship misfortunes, Gai looked at Iruka. "I do date occasionaly; I just don't feel the need to subject myself to it that often. I have dated Ebisu, Iwashi and Tonbo as well as some women. What I want I can't have so I see no point in going for what I don't want." Realizing that last bit was not something he had wanted to make known but figuring it didn't matter now, Gai waited to be dismissed. Surely he was done.

Finally Iruka sat up a little straighter, feeling like he'd finally hit on something that needed some attention. Gai clearly was fixated on someone and Iruka had to know who in order to help the man see that here was more than one option out there for him.

"And who do you want, Gai?" Iruka asked directly, not leaving any time for the man to try to take back what he'd said.

Looking upward Gai contemplated the sky for a while in order to avoid it looking like he was rolling his eyes. "Not someone I can have but someone I am happy that is happy in life." Smiling quietly, Gai looked at the ground and began to walk this time going to the other side of the garden before slowly returning.

Very carefully watching Gai's reaction, Iruka sighed softly in understanding. He was asking incredibly personal questions but he'd really expected something more prominent to jump out at him about what was bringing Gai down so much. He figured he'd give it one more try before giving Gai a break.

"That's very big of you, Gai. It's not always easy to be happy for others if you wish things had turned out differently. This could potentially be important though. Are you sure you don't want to tell me? I'd really appreciate it if you did," Iruka prompted, raising his chocolate brows hopefully.

Gai was pretty sure his attraction to Kakashi was probably the most obvious thing in the world but he had no intention of saying this to Kakashi's wet dream inspiring boyfriend. Tapping his fingers together lightly Gai began to do lunges while he thought about how best to put what he wanted to say. When he start doing lunges towards Iruka again he stopped looked Iruka squarely in the eye and said, "I think you are more intuitive than that. You already know or are suspicious. I will repeat that as long as he is happy and I can see he is happy than I am happy for him. Can I go now?"

Iruka was slightly stunned, glancing back at his notes to see if he'd missed something but he honestly couldn't see anything that jumped off the page that screamed unrequited love.

Sighing and closing his book, Iruka stood up and shrugged. "Go where?" he asked, giving Gai a pointed look. "I know this is uncomfortable but in our next session it's important for you to commit and remember that this is for you. Now we're not done just yet. I'm going to lead you through some tai chi. I want you to concentrate on focusing your energy into slow, fluid movements," Iruka instructed, motioning Gai to follow him into a sunny patch. Raising his arms, Iruka started moving through the elegant positions, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Gai was following his movements. "Try to clear your mind and be completely in the moment."

Gai tried he really did but tai chi was not his forte. He could make himself move anyway he wanted to but this type of meditation exercise tended to annoy him. He much preferred zen walking meditation but he was doing his best. As Gai followed Iruka through the movements he realized that he didn't really want to do this. So he concentrated on other things keep a part his mind aware of Iruka.

Iruka could tell that Gai wasn't enjoying the exercise but he made the man stick to it for twenty minutes. He wasn't a huge supporter of holistic healing but since he'd moved up to the hills with Kakashi and started daily tai chi and working in the gardens he'd noticed an amazing sense of calm in his life.

"Alright," Iruka finally sighed, dropping his arms and trying to keep the disappointed expression off his face. He'd really thought that Gai would be one of his more compliant clients. "I'll let you know when dinner is ready," he murmured, giving Gai permission to leave.

Nodding Gai jumped into the trees and fled. When he was far enough into the woods, he flopped over a tree branch and waited patiently. Soon enough Anko jumped him, knocking him to the ground and slugging him hard in the face. Gai took the hit with a wry smile and chuckled as Anko began to methodically check him for injuries and then finding none she hit him again.

At this point Gai couldn't help laughing. With a huff and a grin of her own, Anko left Gai. For his part, Gai just managed to jump clear of the exploding tag that Anko had left with her departure.

Relieved that some things stayed the same, Gai headed back towards the house, resolved to at least give Iruka's therapy sessions a little more of a try. Really the first one had been disastrous so there was nowhere to go but up. Coming in sight of the house, Gai contemplated how he really felt and then realized that maybe it was time for him to have a temporary sabbatical to the ladies and men of the night.

Hopefully that would relieve some tension.

Iruka was about as relieved when Kakashi got home that day as he was when his lover had been gone on a dangerous mission. Squeezing the silver haired man tightly, Iruka sighed against his shoulder. "Am I loosing my touch?" he asked softly, soaking up the affection from his lover as Kakashi turned them slowly in a circle like they were dancing.

"Never. You just started. They don't always come easy, remember?" Kakashi murmured, having done this with Iruka more than a few times before. It had been months since his lover had gotten a new jounin to counsel though and Iruka had the tendency to forget it was hard to get them to open up. "You might just need a new tactic with him. Gai isn't a usual ninja."

Chuckling softly, Iruka nodded. "None of you are usual, Koi," Iruka teased, knowing all the jounin in the village had their quirks. "Do you think you'd try talking to him? He seems so...resistant to me. Do you think I did something to upset him that I'm not aware of?" Iruka asked his lover.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, not exactly eager to have any heart to hearts but willing to do just about anything for Iruka. "Yeah, alright. I'll talk to him later. Now what's for dinner?" Kakashi asked, changing the subject smoothly.

Gai did his best to maintain a chipper attitude during dinner. He even went so far as to offer to make his special curry so they could understand his passion for it. Restricting himself to the grounds for his evening work out. When he went to bed that night Gai sat up halfway through the night. Quickly he wrote a note before sliding the note somewhere his host could find it.

Slipping into a pair of tight fitting briefs, Gai contemplated what clothing he should wear. Finally deciding from his limited selection on a black and green hakama. Sliding on his black boots, Gai calmly exited the house. When he was far enough away he started running, he was careful to keep his mood relaxed.

Once he arrived at his preferred brothel, Gai was quietly shown into the young man that he tended to see when he came for sex. The man in question was calm and reassuring. Taking off his clothes, Gai let the man touch him and do what he wanted.

Gai felt his release flow through him calmly and take him by some surprise. Once it was over Gai felt relaxed but some of his self loathing started to grow as he paid and then began the walk back. Trying to stifle the tide of feeling wasn't going to happen so Gai let it come and wash through him before it finally settled and he was okay.

On the walk back he hit upon the idea to turn this entire experience into a romance novel. The idea soon distracted Gai enough that he was genuinely excited and happy. Happiness at having some thing to take his mind off his worries made Gai smile brightly during his walk. The only thing that would have made it better is if they had never noticed he was gone.

Sitting out on the porch, Kakashi shook his head at Gai's return.

"You're very lucky I sent Iruka back to bed. He was right ready to tear a strip or two off you. I'm sure you'll hear about it in the morning. I hope you enjoyed yourself at the very least because you're pretty much going to be on lock down for a few days and you may be subject to some of Iruka's more cruel exercises. That's assuming he cools down enough to work with you tomorrow. I have to say, I didn't expect you to be the type who would so blatantly flaunt the rules like this." Smirking in amusement, Kakashi adjusted his robe over his pale, naked chest.

"So what were you up to that you had to sneak off?" Kakashi asked, enjoying the sweet torture of making Gai squirm.

"I went to visit someone." Gai replied smiling. "Yes flaunting the rules is more in your territory rival of mine. I decided to take it for a spin and found that while not to my liking at least some good came of it." Moving slowly to lean against one of the poles on the porch, Gai blinked at Kakashi slowly. "Didn't you get my note?"

"We did, but you're assuming that was acceptable, which it wasn't. But Iruka will get into that tomorrow." Grinning broadly behind his mask, Kakashi tucked his hands behind his head. "Did you have fun?" he asked cheekily, leering at his friend and gesturing for the man to sit down as he poured a couple of cups of sake for them.

"I suppose." Gai sat down and studied his sake cup for a moment. "There is reason springtime and winter are so close and fall so far away." Making a mental note to put that into his book later on. "I guess I am more a prisoner than a guest at this point then." Gai observed warily. Some anxiety rippled through him but it settle down, when Gai thought about his writing.

Snorting, Kakashi sipped the drink through the mask. "But at least the jail has booze." Able to tell that Gai was anxious to move on, Kakashi sighed and rolled to his feet. "Remember, this is in lieu of you being in the hospital getting your head examined day and night. Try to take it easy on Iruka. He takes his counseling work very seriously and I'm the one who has to sleep with him." Smirking a little wider, Kakashi clapped Gai on the shoulder. "Actually, speaking of which he might be worked up enough that I can help him blow off some steam before he goes back to sleep. Iruka when he's mad isn't something to be missed. We'll try not to be too loud. Just knock on the door in the morning and I'll get up so you can work out," he said, winking his uncovered eye at the raven. "Assuming I survive."

"Enjoy your youth." Gai raised his glass to Kakashi and vowed he was sleeping in the gardens as far away as possible. When he was sure that Kakashi was gone, Gai also resolved to get plastered. It would hurt less. Two bottles of sake later found Gai face down in the garden with no interest in moving anytime soon.

When the sun was hot on his back, Gai awoke and wished for death if only because his head would stop hurting. Staggering into the shower, Gai took a quick rinse before getting dressed in work out clothes. It was alot later than he normal slept and Gai felt cranky but he set about using his nunchucks and going through the normal katas to give himself some resemblance of normalcy. Once those exercises were completed Gai stopped. He gave up on getting himself into a normal state through physical exertions

Gai tended to turn to his slightly altered form of walking meditation would help him get a handle on his wayward behavior; Gai started the practice by imagining the maze of his thoughts. The maze established Gai began to walk through the maze some times shifting around flowers and occasionally stopping to view a tough problem before continuing.  
>The feeling of being watched pulled at him but Gai continued to the completion of his exercise in order to prepare for Iruka.<p>

"Yo," Kakashi muttered, lifting a hand in greeting. "Iruka had some work that he had to look after so you're spared for a bit. There's something you should know about him though. There was a time where Iruka wasn't treated very well by the upper ranks. Most of the chuunin were. Sometimes he can be a little over sensitive to how he thinks jounin treat him. Right now he thinks you don't respect him, though doing what he can to work through it because I know that's not the case. Today would be a very good day to be compliant though. I don't know if I can take another night like last twice in a row."

Chuckling softly as he remembered fondly the look of intensity in Iruka's eyes last night as he'd violently ridden him.

"Anyway, he'll probably take it out on the missions' room and be in much better spirits. Did...you stay up drinking last night?" Kakashi asked, scratching the back of his head as he looked around the garden.

"The jail has booze." Gai retorted with a shrug. He wanted to dwell on the fact that Kakashi and Iruka were pretty much made for each other but he didn't want to send the seal into a rush of emotions. Gai instead wondered exactly how he could get himself out of the mess he had created.

"I respect Iruka sensei greatly for his dedication to his causes and precious ones entrusted into his care." Nodding, Gai scratched his chin and thought for a few moments before speaking, "Are there any makings for curry in the house, I would like to cook in order to apologize for my bad manners and behavior."

"There are, but why don't we go for a walk first. Plenty of time to cook later," Kakashi suggested, nodding to one of the paths that lead into the woods and up on top of the hokage monument. "So it's not like you to binge drink. Anything you want to talk about?" he asked casually, digging his hands into his pockets.

"No." Gai responded picking a large rock and beginning to kick it at they walked along. As they passed a tree, Gai took note of an Anbu who was watching them. Continuing onward, Gai concentrated on his self imposed task.

As the rock continued to rocket slowly onward, Gai looked at Kakashi for a moment. "Are you happy with your life?"

"Me?" Kakashi asked a little surprised at the question. He didn't have to think about his response though. "Hell yeah I'm happy. Have you taken a look at how I'm living lately? Never thought I'd have something like this," he murmured, smiling slightly behind his mask. "It's not perfect. It never is, and the work might even be harder on me lately now that I have someone I have to be normal for but day to day I'm happier than I've ever been. Why do you ask?" Kakashi asked, looking back towards the place where the well concealed ANBU had been hiding.

"It helps me to know that those around me have happiness." Gai smiled as he continued to kick the rock. "Knowing that happiness isn't a human illusion or genjutsu makes trying to fight for people and their happiness more of a reason to stay alive."

"Gai, I think the more important question is why you aren't happy?" Kakashi murmured, wishing it could be Iruka doing this and not him but he did know it would be good for everyone if he could get some answers. "And don't tell me that you are. You pretty much just admitted it," Kakashi murmured, nudging his hiatai up off his forehead so he could capture all of Gai's expressions.

"What did I do to earn the dubious honor of having your Sharingan pointed in my direction?" Gai glanced sideways at Kakashi his heart clenching briefly as the thought that there was nothing that he did or was worth recording. Turning his back on Kakashi, Gai contemplated how best to answer for a while but gave a shrug at last. "If I am not happy, I am content to not be happy but to know happiness exists." Keeping his head down Gai kicked the stone again watching it split and erupt into pieces.

I am the stone. The thought crossed Gai's mind so quickly and his chakra spasmed so hard that Gai forced his emotions back into a box only for the seal to send him to his knees. The harder he tried to be completely emotionless the worse it got until Gai dry heaved. Gai forced himself to present calm. Holding onto a tree for support Gai let his head lull down.

Moving in quickly to brace Gai's weight, Kakashi sighed and squeezed his friend's shoulder. He hated seeing the man like this, especially when things had finally started to come together for him.

"I don't think you are content with it. We've all been there, Gai. Do you think that after Minato-sama died that everyday for years wasn't the worst day of my life? Every ninja in this town probably has gone through a spell like this, brief or long in duration. It's why you're staying with us. It's why the Hokage got Iruka to work with you. If you give him a chance he could do great things for you. He changed everything for me, for a lot of people you probably wouldn't expect," Kakashi murmured, ruffling a hand through Gai's hair affectionately.

Tears started falling down his face at Kakashi's words. He was so oblivious he didn't have a clue and Gai himself had only just realized why he wasn't jealous of Iruka for having Kakashi's attention. His crush got worse; it had spread to include Iruka too. Gai practically somersaulted away from Kakashi as though he had been burned.

"I may not be content but I have nothing left if I'm not." Gai stated before he began a quick jog up the Hokage mountain in an attempt to calm himself some before he had to speak with Kakashi again. At the moment he wanted it to be over more than anything but he knew that it wasn't to be. When he reached the top of the mountain, Gai gave into the urge to do something he hadn't done in years.

Flopping down on top of the monument, Gai looked out over the village and tried to guess who was where. He had enjoyed the game a lot when he was little because of the sheer improbability of of him being right. Gai's enjoyment of the game was more in the thinking about the weird places people could be and then later he could write down ideas for his books.

Burying his hands back in his pockets, Kakashi wandered up behind his friend, a little anxious with how close to the edge Gai was sitting, though he knew that the built in survival skills they all came with were harder to overcome for ninjas than most thought.

"You okay?" he asked, watching Gai out of the corner of his eyes. "If you let us we can help you find more for yourself. You can be happy, Gai."

"Would you really help me find more for myself?" Gai turned and looked at Kakashi intently reading him more seriously then most people were aware he could be. Not seeing anything to back up that statement, Gai backed off, "I am okay. I will be happy eventually and like most ninja I can fake it until I make it." Gai smiled slightly. "I appreciate you and Iruka trying to take care of me but I somehow doubt what I want will ever happen so let's just leave it for the time being and enjoy the lovely view."

"You won't even give us a chance, Gai. What are you so worried about?" Kakashi asked, starting to understand why Iruka had gotten so flustered. "It's easy to feel pessimistic if you don't have more faith in the people who care about you, Gai."

"My eternal rival you are quite right. I shouldn't worry so much." Bounding to his feet, Gai had a thought cross his mind about another thing he hadn't done in years. "I challenge you to a race rival. A race to the bottom of the monument, no transportation jutsu just getting there how you can."

Turning and looking out at the village again, Gai smiled when he heard Kakashi's acceptance. "One thing I love about you Kakashi is that you are can be strangely predictable. See you at the bottom." Smiling wide, Gai jumped off the monument. Putting his body in a straight line, as he free fell and picked up speed once he got to the point where the monument started to slope he threw out his arms and legs to slow his descent. Then Gai began the exacting process of sending just the right amount of chakra to his feet that he slide down the rock surface. At the end he gave a mighty jump and landed at the base of the monument. Feeling exhilarated, Gai looked around for Kakashi but didn't see him.

"Gai!" Kakashi gasped, terrified for a minute that his friend was trying to hurt himself again. Relieved to see it was just part of the challenge, Kakashi quickly used a series of replacement jutsus to get down to the bottom. He watched from a clump of trees as Gai looked around for him, a triumphant smile on his face.

"What took you?" he asked lazily smirking when Gai stuttered. "What? You said no teleportation jutsus. I didn't use one," he argued, knowing it was semantics. In a sense it was a form of teleportation and they could both argue for and against the fact that Kakashi had cheated.

"Come on. We should go home if you want to cook before Ru gets back," he said with a grin.

"You and your hip attitude." Gai shook his head smiling like he use to. "Never fear eternal rival, semantics will not keep me from staying ahead of our rivalry though now the margin is of my winnings are smaller." Having not felt the urge to do a pose in a while, Gai surprised himself by popping one complete with rose petals in the wind and shining sun. Laughing heartily Gai started the walk back to the house, in a good mood.

Chuckling softly at Gai's exuberance, Kakashi followed him home, surprised when he found Iruka already there. He could tell immediately that Iruka was upset from the way the usually perfectly sure limbs flinched as he slowly moved the energy around him.

"Babe?" he asked gently before falling silent, noting that Iruka needed at least a couple more minutes of solitude before he'd be ready for conversation.

Sitting on the deck and watching carefully, Kakashi waited until Iruka's hands fell to his sides before calling out to him again. "What happened, Ru?" he asked, knowing it was more than just being upset at Gai at this point.

"A team of my students," Iruka murmured his eyes downcast but his voice steady. "Two dead, the other is coming for a session tonight. Young ones," Iruka said, sinking to the deck with a heavy sigh. "Important documents went missing from filing and Hokage-sama was unimpressed with my first progress report." Laying his head in Kakashi's lap, Iruka looked up sadly at Gai, not having the fire to chew him out anymore. "We should probably talk for a bit now as I'm going to be busy after dinner now," he murmured, not in a hurry to move away from where Kakashi was gently stroking his hair.

"It's okay. I can make dinner and talk." Gai smiled quietly. "That way it keeps me occupied in such a way that I can't escape readily and I am reminded of why I am cooking in the first place. Guilt is a very heavy stone." Nodding with authority, Gai realized he had forgotten something.

Kneeling at Iruka's feet Gai bowed. "I humbly request your pardon for my actions last night. I was rude and it was inexcusable of me to abuse the boundaries you set for me in such a way. As a person I hold in high regard would you accept my apology." Gai didn't look up but stayed bowed and patiently waited for his answer.

Extending his arm, Iruka dragged his fingers through Gai's silky hair, pulling a few pieces out of place and shifting them back, his big brown eyes soft and affectionate but sad. "It's alright," he murmured, attempting a weak smile. "Seems pretty insignificant now, doesn't it," he added, continuing to stroke Gai's locks as he let his eyes fall closed, the texture against his palms soothing him. "You guys just sit with me for a minute?" Iruka mumbled, swallowing hard to rid his throat of the emotion creeping up in it.

Gai stretched out more to allow Iruka easier access. For a time Gai allowed himself to enjoy the closeness of other people. As Iruka continued to stroke his hair Gai allowed himself to dream about what his life could be like. He wasn't sure how long it lasted but Gai was perfectly calm, through out.

Soaking up the physical comfort, Iruka revelled in the feeling of being so safe and surrounded. Not that he ever needed more than Kakashi but the thought of two strong men looking after him on a horrible day like this was appealing.

Finally he let out a long sigh and rolled to his feet, brushing the little bits of moisture he hadn't been able to blink back from his eyes. "Thank you," he murmured gratefully, giving each man their own soft smile, feeling far more like himself again.

"Can you make yourself scarce for a bit babe while Gai and I cook?" Iruka asked, giving Kakashi a quick kiss when he nodded. "Okay. Gai, I'll be right in. Do you want to go get started?"

When Gai headed inside, Iruka fell into his lover's arms for one more embrace. "How was today? Anything of note happen? I felt something a while ago..." he murmured softly making sure that Gai couldn't over hear them.

Gai began to set up the curry stock, making sure he had all the ingredients. He wasn't going to be able to make it as spicy as he like but it would still be nice. Humming away, Gai began to get everything set up putting aside the vegetables he would needed chopped. Setting up the rice he waited for Iruka to come help him.

Iruka listened carefully as Kakashi recounted his day, going quiet with contemplation as his lover mentioned the details and Gai's breakdown during their walk, not to mention what had been said between them the night before.

His mind was full as he headed into the kitchen a short time later, smiling distractedly as he stepped up beside Gai and immediately took over preparing the vetegables.

Some of the pieces were fitting together now but Iruka wasn't sure if he should bring them up now when he was on a time frame.

"I'm sorry about that. I know it's silly but I really do think of my students like my own kids. It's so hard to lose them," he murmured softly, giving Gai a quick one armed hug.

"Gai...tonight I want to start off by getting you to talk about yourself. What comes to mind when you think of yourself?" he asked gently.

"There is nothing wrong with your students being your children. It means that you get to be prouder for their accomplishments and more aware of their faults then if you were their parent." Gai patted Iruka's arm gently before continuing his work. Once he had the stock and the vegetables simmering away, Gai perched on the counter to think about Iruka's question some.  
>"I am earth." Gai shrugged. "I am solid and steady. I grow things but at the same time I weather away."<p>

Chuckling just a bit in exasperation, Iruka nodded that he understood, though he really wasn't thinking fast enough to probably get the full meaning of what Gai had said.

"Don't talk in riddles honey, not tonight. Just tell me straight forward. When you think about yourself, who you are, how you are and what you do how does it make you feel? Proud? Embarrassed, disheartened, youthful?" Iruka asked, his small smile widening a little. "There's no wrong answer but it might be an important one."

"I was not speaking in riddles. I am a teacher who would die from my students the same way I would die for my comrades or anyone under my protection. I have things I will always believe true and maintain my ninja way. I am not proud but I can never be truly humble. I am embarrassed that I was laid low by a jutsu and mostly I happy to be alive even if there is no certainty." Shrugging Gai realized some thing, "I love deeply and completely which is why I don't try to love, if I am hurt I don't recover well. Does that answer suffice?"

Iruka was seriously tempted to give up but the thought of Gai locked up in a hospital was too horrible to take. "Gai, I'm not talking about the things that happen to you..." Pausing to think, Iruka hummed softly to himself. "Okay. I'm going to start a sentence and you're going to finish it, okay?" Iruka asked, looking at Gai for a nod before starting.

"Okay. When I finish writing a story I feel..." Iruka started with something easy to get Gai warmed up.

"Excited." Gai answered automatically.

Smiling and nodding as he passed Gai a big handful of chopped vegetables, Iruka continued. "When a friend goes on a mission I feel..."

"Hopeful that they will return." tilting his head, Gai tried to figure out where this was going.

"When I think of Lee going to Suna to be with Gaara-sama I feel..."

"Happy that my student has found happiness and fulfillment."

"Anything else?" Iruka asked, knowing it was easy to have conflicted emotions about such things. "Be honest now," he chided.

Smiling at Iruka, Gai couldn't help but tease, "You wanted what first came to mind and that finished the sentence. The second thing that came to mind was if Gaara hurt Lee would I be able to kill the Kazekage and get back here before I was missed."

Tsking the taijutsu master lightly, Iruka shook his head. "I asked you to finish the sentence, not for the first thing that came to mind. Gai, I think you have a real problem accepting your negative emotions. Pretending your emotions don't exist doesn't make them disappear. It's an important part of growth to acknowledge feelings that you have. Even if they're not helpful emotions. Perhaps thinking of Gaara and Lee might make you feel envious? Frustrated that even though you and Lee are so similar that he found someone who loves him the way he is? Possessive that Gaara might be taking him away from you?" Iruka suggested. "It doesn't make you a bad person to think those things. It's natural. It is important to be aware of such things and give those feelings some acknowledgement so you can process them."

Standing up and stretching Gai started to pace a bit around the kitchen as he thought how he really felt. Anger suddenly pulsed through him and he looked down at the seal when it pulsed. "I'm angry, really angry. I wish he could stay nearby; I don't like it when people leave me behind. I should be use to it by now but I'm not. I'm frustrated because I had hoped he would realize that being from different villages would add adversity into their relationship."

Putting his hands on the island he studied the grain quietly. "I could never be envious though. Lee has went through so much that I want him to know, even if it is only for a little while, about true love."

Touched and relieved to finally have gotten and honest answer from the man, Iruka rested a hand on Gai's arm for comfort. "It does more damage to deny that you feel these things. It doesn't mean to you care for him and want the best for him."

Stirring the curry so it wouldn't burn, Iruka went back to his chopping, motioning for Gai to relax. "When I look in the mirror and see my reflection I feel..."

"Unattractive." Gai sighed mildly depressed because being honest with himself was a not some thing that he liked to do very often.

His brows furrowing, Iruka nodded in understanding. He'd thought of himself much in the same way for a long time.

"When I think of love I feel..." he murmured, working his way up to the big questions that he knew Gai would have a hard time with.

"Hopeful. I can't be anything else." Gai began to get down the tableware.

Swallowing thickly, Iruka turned and looked at Gai's back. "And when I think of Kakashi, I feel..." he started, the way Gai froze and the pregnant silence telling him everything. No wonder the man had been acting so strangely since he'd been there. No wonder he'd been so hesitant to open up to him.

"How long have you been in love with him?" Iruka asked softly, careful not to sound angry at all.

"Too long for it to matter." Gai felt a weight simultaneously lift off his shoulders while a lodestone descended on his neck. "He has you and you are the best thing for him. He is so happy now that I can't even imagine him otherwise with anyone else. It hurts but he has light in his eyes that hasn't been there in a long time so it doesn't matter."

Gai wiped his eyes briefly, before going around Iruka to check on the curry. "All done. Why don't you go get him?"

Turning the burner off, Iruka captured Gai's arms gently. "He can wait. Why did you never tell him?" Iruka asked, lifting Gai's chin off his chest with a finger. "It was less that he needed me than it was that he desperately needed someone. He probably could be just as happy with you as he is with me."

"Iruka I don't know if anyone has ever pointed it out to you but you are sex on legs." Gai pulled away from Iruka and walked outside. "I am nothing more than a punching bag for his ambitions at best and a nuisance at worst. Take care of him for me and let him know I won't be a bother to either of you anymore. I won't hurt myself either; I will be out of the way." In the next moment Gai was gone. He didn't go far just to the Hokage monument to breath for a bit.

In a swirl of leaves two masked nins appeared at Gai's side, each resting a hand on his shoulder when it was clear that they meant him no harm.

Looking up from his desk as the black-ops transported his friend into the room, Ibiki nodded stiffly in dismissal before turning his attention to Gai, making very clear note that Gai was upset, very upset.

"Gai...you really need to stop taking off like this. I've gotten more notices about you in the past three days than I have in your entire career." Nodding towards the bar hanging off the wall, Ibiki waited until Gai had jumped up to it and started doing pull ups vigorously before continuing. "Is there a problem with you current arrangement, Gai?" he asked, knowing sometimes it was an actual issue and sometimes therapy just meant being pushed harder than one would like.

"You couldn't come up with a better torture plan." Gai sighed, as Ibiki leaned back and watched him. "You know how I feel about Kakashi and then Iruka, I mean, just Iruka is just I have gotten to know him too." Switching to the one armed pull ups Gai thought about that situation for a bit and as he switched arms he hit upon the rub. Letting himself hang for a moment Gai looked at his old friend who was waiting expectantly.

"I want them both, how bad is that? Listening to them have sex is going to drive me insane. We all know I am only so good with restraint."

"You mean to say you don't really have any." Ibiki commented dryly.

"Right. I mean and they are so romantic with each other and..." Gai stopped and began doing leg lifts. "Did you know that out of our group I am the only single one left?"

Pausing, Ibiki was shocked to realize that Gai was right. "It could be worse, Gai. It could always be worse. Kurenai was the first of us to love and she was the first widowed," Ibiki murmured, having been reminded of the woman when he'd seen her in town with her little boy that morning. "It's not surprising to me that you want them both, Gai. They're very attractive individually but as a couple they have a strength and warmth that most of us can't even understand anymore."

"Sitting back and tenting his fingers, Ibiki nodded. "I know it's hard but I think it will do you good to be there. Tell me, do you think that one night with both of them would help or hurt?" he asked, studying Gai closely.

"Kurenai loved though and had her love returned. Even though she lost it she still has her son. He is the product of that. You loved your wife and you have memories." Gai stopped realizing he may have stumbled over a topic that was best left undisturbed. Jumping to Ibiki's last words, Gai sighed, "One night isn't on the table and it would probably end up breaking me anyway." Dropping from the pull up bar Gai studied the ceiling.

"I never knew you were a coward Gai."

"It's why I wear green, it camouflages the yellow." Gai replied thinking.

"Gai I really hope that is the damn jutsu talking."

"We can hope." Gai sighed studying his friend. "I am going back again aren't I?"

"Kicking and screaming if necessary." Ibiki confirmed.

Gai smiled, "Iruka is going to kill me and it will be all your fault."

"Not if Kakashi doesn't get there first." Ibiki chuckled.

"If Iruka could hear you now he would understand what I meant when I said you were funny."

"Don't go telling people that," Ibiki snapped, though a smile hinted at his lips. "I have a reputation to uphold. You'd better get back there. Iruka says your dinner is getting cold," the torture specialist murmured as he read yet another tiny note that appeared on his desk from thin air. "Think about addressing this, Gai. You will get closure one way or another and that's for the best."

"Curry will keep." Gai shrugged before he thought about what Ibiki had said. "Closure is such a final sounding word. It means something ends or to make peace."

"It also can mean a new beginning." Ibiki waved Gai out of his office.

Bowing to Ibiki, Gai left walking through the village in thought. As he moved he contemplated the different facades of his predicament. It all came down to a few essential points. He was going to have to work with Iruka. If only to figure out why he became fixated. Maybe he could achieve peace within himself if he just got it out of his system. This thought was firmly in his mind as he crossed the wards onto the compound and felt the zing of them locking. Turning around, Gai attempted to walk back out and got a nasty shock for his troubles.

Squaring his shoulders Gai realized that the die had been cast. Now it was up to how he played his hand. Thankfully Gai's luck wasn't horrible, just different in the way things tended to work for him.

Feeling Gai's presence, Kakashi headed back to the dinning room, waving to Gai and gesturing out the sliding doors to the inner courtyard where Iruka was in process of putting up a light barrier jutsu, mostly to dampen sounds. When the final seal was finished, Kakashi watched his lover embrace the young jounin, who's fingers dug into Iruka's shirt firmly as he buried his face in his old sensei's shirt.

"They shouldn't be able to hear us now. Can you watch them for a second? I'll get your plate. The curry was great by the way," he added, leaving Gai to keep an eye on his lover for a moment. Returning with the plate from the oven, Kakashi sighed and shook his head.

"They always give him jounin. I hate it. Especially the young ones; they're so unpredictable." Looking back at Gai for a moment, Kakashi sunk into the chair at the table that looked out the door and set the plate down in the seat adjacent to him. "Go ahead, they won't hear us now."

Despite his relaxed posture, a rigidity and readiness to strike was apparent in Kakashi, if from nothing else from his unblinking gaze on the pair in the gardens. As Gai sat next to him, one of Kakashi's hands fell on top of his arm and squeezed gently, though his gaze didn't alter. "Ru said you were upset from your talk," he murmured, leaving the question of are you okay unsaid.

"Therapy isn't easy." Gai sighed happy that Kakashi had enjoyed the curry. "I really don't like it but you have to do what you have to to survive." Shrugging, Gai finished his curry and took his plate into the kitchen. Cleaning up quickly he went to his room and took out a scroll.

Figuring out where to start was usually the hardest part for Gai when he began writing for a new project. It tended to take him days to come up with something he felt that would grab his readers and hold on. In this instance he felt as though he had so much to say that it would all get jumbled together. Keying in on the fact that being inside wasn't helping him; Gai took his writing supplies and went out into the garden. Sandwich in among the flowers, Gai began to write the story from his point of view.

He wasn't sure how long he stayed out in the garden writing but soon the lantern he bought was lighted as Gai finished sheet upon sheets of paper. Out of his pen poured the story of Jiro and his unrequited love.

It was painful to write but it was beautiful. Soon Gai had tears in his eyes but he felt no urge to stop. When he finally did he smiled at the pages he had written. Binding them together, Gai stood and stretched.  
>He had managed to get down alot of details and gotten all of the characters introduced. Kazuo and Akira were getting together as Jiro watched on. He had never written a gay romance and he wasn't sure if it was any good.<p>

Going into his room Gai pulled out a transfer jutsu and transferred what he had written to his editor, curious and what the man would have to say. Stretching his muscles, Gai put on his sleeping pants and for the first time slept on the floor of his room with a pillow. He was too tired to attempt to ward the garden again.

Trying his best to be patient, Kakashi watched and waited, eager to get the volatile young man out of his house. His eyes followed them through Iruka's traditional steps of bringing out and cooling the emotions and he jumped to his feet a couple of times when fists had flown, but were expertly caught and held by his lover. When Iruka finally led the man to the front door, Kakashi sighed in relief and followed a safe distance behind. Wrapping his hands around Iruka's shoulders he waited a minute until Toshi was out of earshot before nuzzling and whispering against his jaw.

"What do you need, Ru?" he asked, not surprised at all when Iruka spun in his arms and a pair of full, hungry lips were pulling at his. Lifting Iruka off the floor and carrying him back into the dinning room, Kakashi ground himself between Iruka's gripping thighs, his hand releasing the chocolate silk from it's bindings and tenderly brushing a tear away.

"I...need to feel it..." he heard Iruka breathe as he lay the chuunin down on the table and immediately pulled back on his brown locks. The way Iruka trembled and gasped for him as the adrenaline rushed into his system was completely erotic and Kakashi quickly began tearing their clothes away, eager to get at his lover's skin. Riding the natural high the dominance brought, Kakashi let it fuel him with every satisfied moan Iruka would make through their rough foreplay.

Gai heard the noises. Blinking slowly he sat up, hearing the moans and groans wafting through the air, Gai was torn between taking a peek and staying where he was. Ultimately he went to his bag and retrieved a sleeping pill. Within moments he was asleep the empty bottle resting on the nightstand.

TBC...

*Seeing how huge this story is and that I have already posted a substantial amount I am curious to what people think. I started this as a small project to get me writing again. Constructive criticism is good though no hating without a reason. I hope to hear from more people on this one if only because this is something that I worked hard to edit and make interesting. So I figure I won't post the next part until I have at least ten reviews or a week has passed. Between lj and fanfiction I figure ten shouldn't take long. There is quite a bit of this written already and now whats left is the ending. Until next time. B*


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Relations between Senseis  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> (KakaIru, GaiIru, KakaGai with eventual GaiKakaIru )  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M for Sex, Violence and Mature themes  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Attempted Suicide, Violence, Polyamorous Relationship  
><strong>Summary:<strong> There is a lot more to Maito Gai then meets the eye and unfortunately it takes some bad things happening before Kakashi and Iruka realize it. (Summary not so great but story is better)  
><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Sorry folks this was going to be out on Friday but I had to send my computer in and forgot to load this chapter before I did it. Cue the mad scramble to get this in on Sunday like I promised. Also does anyone want to beta this. I look through it of course and I think it is okay but an extra pair of eyes wouldn't hurt.

Warning for this chapter: Yaoi ahead.

Iruka smiled serenely as Gai finally emerged the next morning, comically glancing at his watch and smiling cheekily.

"Morning sleepyhead," he chirped pleasantly, though he was moving noticeably slower that morning thanks to the intense pounding Kakashi had given him the night before. The discomfort felt good the morning after, at least for a while.

"Your breakfast is ready," Iruka murmured, gesturing to the table as he added more sugar to his coffee. "Kakashi is gone, probably for a couple of days so you're stuck with just me I'm afraid," he said with an easy smile.

Grunting Gai tried to open his mouth and speak but found himself failing. He hated sleeping pills but the one from last night had been horribly effective. So much so that Gai was aware that he needed a hair cut. His bangs were in his eyes. Then Gai realized that his eyes were only half open. For a time he struggled to correct that but gave up when he could only get one eye completely open when the other one was closed.

"Thank you for breakfast." Gai rasped scratching his stomach and picking at the meal. "Kakashi san will be back before you know it." Sipping at the tea, Gai struggled to focus. God he had hated drugs.

"You okay?" Iruka asked, smoothing a hand over Gai's hair and brushed his bangs off his face a little. Something about the man's hair was tactilely very addictive. "You look a little groggy this morning. Oh...we didn't keep you up, did we?" he asked, slightly embarrassed. He knew he could get pretty loud on occasions and he couldn't remember if last night was one of those times. "I'm really sorry. Sometimes when I'm grieving the release I need is a physical one. Here I said we were going to be good," he sighed, his fingers still playing with Gai's black locks.

Grumbling lightly the affirmative, Gai looked at Iruka and sighed. "You were fine until the howling started." Gai ate his food and allowed Iruka to continue to play with his hair. He wasn't quite sure what to make of that so he let it go. "Everyone has different releases and you get yours through sex. You aren't hurting yourself so it is line with the shinobi code." Scratching at his jaw lightly, Gai rested his head on the table and regarded Iruka solemnly. "What now?"

Giving a soft, affectionate smile, Iruka dragged the back of his finger over Gai's cheek. "We go talk. Did you think I was just going to disown you because you have feelings for Kakashi?" Iruka asked, his fingers returning to Gai's silky hair. "Let me tell you, you're not the first to tell me that. There were even people who told me their intentions were to steal him away. I'm certainly not upset with you."

"Well considering you have your hands in my hair, I am assuming that upset isn't the word." Gai grunted, his gaze studying Iruka quietly. "It will be easier for you both when I am out of the way. You can howl at the moon to your hearts content." Shifting up and away from Iruka's hands, Gai stretched so that his back popped before beginning to clear the table.

Once he was done he returned to the dining room. At this point Gai realized he was still in his sleeping pants. "I should probably get dressed. I didn't realize," Making a general gesture at his attire. "What are the plans for today?"

Taking Gai by the arm and gently guiding him into one of the sitting rooms, Iruka motioned for him to sit on one of the floor cushions before taking a spot himself.

"Forget getting changed for a minute," Iruka murmured, waiting for Gai to make himself comfortable. "There's something I want you to understand, Gai. You are not a burden to Kakashi or I, okay? We wanted you to come here, to be with us when things were going rough for you. I really want you to stop thinking of yourself as a nuisance and realize that we enjoy having you here with us, both of us do, because you're important to us and we care about you." Iruka's expression was pure earnestness, his eyes begging Gai to understand that regardless of what he thought, he wasn't a problem waiting to be fixed so they could get rid of him.

Frowning deeply Gai thought about what Iruka said. Crossing his arms over his chest, Gai tapped his fingers lightly against his chest. "I don't really think I want to contemplate that now. I believe you but it would be easier if I ignored it. I don't think I am making sense so I guess I could say I appreciate your concern for me and all that you have done."

"I'm afraid I haven't done much just yet," Iruka mumbled more to himself than to Gai. "I'm not sure I understand why you don't want to think about what I just said. We care about you, Gai, a lot. That's why we wanted to have you here. You're important to us, especially to Kakashi. I shudder to think what he would have been like if the jutsu had actually made you kill yourself. I don't know if you know this because he's so popular but Kakashi doesn't have many close friends, certainly very few that he actually trusts. You might look at what the two of you have as just a rivalry but he sees you as much more than that."

"There are thin lines around everything. Rivalry, friendship, love and hate. He wouldn't be my rival if he was just anyone else." Gai scratched his head before falling onto his back. "Why do I have to think about this now? Why exactly do you care? Kakashi maybe but why you?"

It wasn't a bad question and for a moment Iruka had to think about exactly how to answer it. "Well first and foremost I'd care even if I didn't know you because you are so important to Kakashi. Secondly, I admire and respect most of you jounin. You do the things that even we chuunin couldn't stand even once and the only thing I can say to you when you get back is thank you for your hard work, knowing the things you've seen were probably enough to traumatize me for life. But you do what you have to do, what needs to get done, and when you come home, aside from a few interesting quirks, you're all able to function like normal human beings. That takes so much strength."

Iruka found the urge to crawl over to Gai and hug him, to curl up beside him with his head on the muscular shoulder both overwhelming and shocking. He was an affectionate guy but for some reason he didn't think that this had anything to do with Gai's comfort.

"Thirdly, I think you're wonderful. You're the juxtaposition to all the dark and gloom that most of the upper ranks are mired in. Even if that's just your outward personality. You're caring and sensitive and an integral part of the village. I wish I did know you better than I do. I think we'd get along very well if I did."

Gai was pretty sure his mouth would have been hanging open if he had been laying down allowing gravity to keep it closed. "At times I think Kakashi only cares about me because I am one of the only ones around during the time of Minato sensei that knew Kakashi and is still alive. I am flattered by your comments on jounin but jounin are the tools and chuunin are the glue that binds the village together. Without you holding together the foundations of the village there wouldn't be anything to come back to. I don't know exactly how to respond to the thirdly bit but through therapy you are getting to know me somewhat. If there is something you wish to know in the friendly capacity just ask."

"Thank you, Gai. I will," Iruka said simply, deciding not to argue a lot of the finer points with Gai of all of those points but picking one that stuck out to him.

"Why do you have such a hard time believing that Kakashi likes you for you?" he asked, hoping to loop back in the self esteem issues he'd picked up on yesterday.

"Because he told me." Gai sighed. "It was one of the only times I ever took him out by myself when we were younger. He said that because I looked the way I did people were more attracted to him. I was a great way to get him laid if only because if I was the other option then he would be a shoo in." Putting his arm over his eyes, Gai took a deep shuddering breath. Even after all this time it still hurt. "He looked at me and smiled before he said that who would like an ugly mug like you anyway." The pain of that statement had sent Gai into a spiral and even now the seal pulsed darkly.

In an instant Iruka was beside Gai, a hand resting gently on his stomach. He had such a hard time believing that his Kakashi had been so cold, only he knew how Kakashi had been when he was younger, arrogant and self involved to an extreme.

"Gai..." Iruka soothed gently, his other hand moving to cup the man's jaw when he tried to turn his face away, his heart breaking for the poor thing. "Sweetheart, you're not ugly. Not at all." He knew that few of his words would make a difference. When he'd thought he was the ugliest thing in the village there was nothing anyone could say to the contrary to make him change his mind. And he hadn't had his crush tell him he was ugly right to his face.

"Kakashi wasn't always the man he was today, Gai. He used to be a really arrogant asshole to be frank. He isn't like that anymore. Hasn't been since before he and I got together. Awww, Gai. That must have been horrible," Iruka simpered, fully intending on kicking Kakashi's ass when he got back for never apologizing to the man.

"Oh Gai, is that what you've been thinking of yourself for all these years?" he asked, thinking it was no wonder Gai hadn't found someone with his self esteem so low. "How long ago was that, sweetheart?" Iruka's hands were petting gently, smoothing along Gai's hair and face and rubbing slow circles on the seal on his stomach in attempts to sooth the man and show him that Iruka had no qualms about getting close.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable with the way he was reacting to Iruka's touch, Gai shifted slightly frowning. "I guess it was about fourteen years ago give or take. I figured at the point why try to look good when the only person you want to notice you only thinks of you as a foil for their looks. So I played the part, green spandex and strange hair cut. It made me different and in a lot of ways it helped me out."

Laying there on the floor Gai took deep breaths and thought for a bit, "I stopped thinking I'm ugly though sometimes I still believe it. I guess it is just me being unique. My family isn't native here so...What can you do really?" Leaning up on his elbows he shook his head at Iruka.

"I know Kakashi hasn't been that spiteful boy for a long time, I can just still see him saying it with that look on his face. Some times it is the look that stays with you." Shaking his head, Gai cracked a smile and looked at Iruka. Realizing how close their faces were Gai laid down again.

Sighing, Iruka tenderly rubbed the pads of his fingers against Gai's scalp. "I know. It's terrible and I can't believe he never took it back. But that was a long time ago and you do know that it's not true, right?" Iruka asked, sliding along the floor so he was half laying down, resting himself on his elbow. "You...are not ugly," he said firmly, pausing to make sure his words were getting through to Gai. "In fact," Iruka said, a little smile hinting at his lips and in his eyes. "I think you're pretty damn gorgeous. You definitely have the hottest body of all the men in the village." He brushed at Gai's bangs, his fingers trailing gently along Gai's features as he studied them with new appreciation.

"Well that is my rival he probably doesn't ever think of me when I am not forcing my presence on him." Gai chuckled. "I appreciate your flattery but you don't have to boost my ego. For how hard I work I hope my body's good at least." Adding a teasing note to his voice, Gai nudged Iruka and grinned lightly.

"I did get a very funny offer though." Gai couldn't help chuckling as he thought of the offer that he had received in Suna. "Apparently if I was interested in doing porn I should consider moving to Suna. I apparently would do well." Patting his stomach so that it made a sound like a drum, Gai thought aloud, "Now what would my porn name be? Spandex bandit, stretch...the body..." Wriggling his eyebrows at Iruka Gai started laughing helplessly.

Chuckling too, Iruka continued to stroke Gai's hair, pondering on the idea of Gai in porn. Just how spectacular was Gai's body, all his body, if he was getting offers like that.

"Gai, come here. We're going to do a little exercise." When Gai seemed to perk up, Iruka chuckled and flicked the end of his nose. "Not that kind of exercise. Come on."

Nodding to Gai to sit up like he did. "You told me once that I was...sex on legs I think is how you put it," he said, his lips quirking at the corners as he crossed his legs and sat up straight. "Now...why is that? There's nothing all that special about my looks really. My hair is brown and I usually wear it pulled up like this," Iruka started, his tone very logical. "I'm not tall, I'm not built, not like most of the men in this village. In fact I'm horribly out of shape compared to most. I have a giant scar right across my face," he gestured to his face where his scar ran across the bridge of his nose. "So what is it about me that's so appealing?" Iruka asked, cocking his head to the side.

Saying the first thing that came to mind Gai looked confused, "You look yummy and homey." Gai realized that may have sounded bad tried to figure out how to make himself better understood. "I mean you can be around anybody and still figure out how to get along. You aren't afraid to stand up to anyone. Being super in shape is sort of the norm for our job and you have a little less definition which makes you different. You are a ninja so you aren't a push over but you still look like someone who would look good in certain items of an intimate persuasion." Nodding sagely Gai continued.

"The scar just makes you more approachable. Without it most people would look at you and have problems speaking. It is a conversation piece and a mark of your unique appeal. I think you are perfect as you are." Finishing up Gai tilted his head at Iruka. "Did I mess up my explanation again or need to explain better?"

Chuckling softly, Iruka shook his head. "That was all very flattering Gai. But why does any of that make me sexy?" When the black haired nin gave him a confused look and Iruka smiled wider. "Close your eyes for me. Now, I want you to imagine what I would look like if I had no confidence in my looks. Maybe a few extra pounds or maybe obsessive in my quest to have a prefect body." Iruka found it strange that all of the things that generally accompanied poor self esteem, Gai didn't display.

"Now think about yourself if you had confidence in your looks. I think it would probably be something like this..."

Pulling a quick henge, Iruka leaned back against the couch, his eyelids narrowed over Gai's black eyes. The raven hair was slightly touseled and Iruka's posture in Gai's long, firm body was open and inviting clad in only the same sleeping pants Gai was wearing right then.

Popping open an eye Gai studied himself briefly before closing his eyes again. "Hhhhmm I guess perception is a major part of how people look?" Taking a stab at the reason for the game, Gai continued to sit in darkness. When he realized he had walked into a land mine in his mind filled with Kakashi and Iruka images.

"_Oh Hell."_ Gai mentally growled, where the hell had those come from. Imagines of the two bodies twined together made Gai stand up and do a quick round of side steps. Jumping up and down Gai hopped around the room to distract himself from the images before he flopped back on the floor cushions.

"What's next oh vernible sensei?" Gai inquired.

"Iruka, Gai," he muttered, popping back into himself with a slightly exasperated look. "Please please please, just call me Iruka. I just wanted you to have a better idea of what the people around you see, or rather could see if you didn't count yourself out so easily. You're hot, Gai. Very hot. I'd like to see you believe that now and then. Strut a little," he added with a smile. "Sometimes if you really want something you should just...go for it."

"You make it sound like you want me to make a play for Kakashi or something." Gai shook his head. "That would be...awkward." Gai laughed slightly shaking his head. Jogging in place briefly Gai inquired. "If there is nothing else, I think I will go do some kantas outside and then shower if that is okay." At Iruka's nod, Gai went on his way figuring he might as well do his work out in his current attire rather than have to rewash an outfit.

The time flew by and before Gai realized it an hour had passed. Hopping back into the sitting room, he found Iruka sitting with what looked a manuscript in hand. Gai didn't think much about it.

"Do you want me to fix dinner?" When his question did not gain a response, Gai went closer. He realized a note was on the floor. Bending to pick it up, Gai blinked at his editors handwriting before looking at Iruka with a bewildered gaze.

Iruka looked up at Gai over his burning cheeks, embarrassed at having been caught in the wrong but still stunned by his discovery.

"I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to invade your privacy like this but when your editor dropped it off I was so surprised that you wrote actual novels..." Iruka blinked as images of what he'd been reading kept replaying before his eyes.

"I only meant to read a couple of lines but..." Iruka looked up at the script that was still open to the page he'd been on where Jiro and Akira attacked Kazou and laved his cinnamon body with attention from head to toe. Iruka's cock was rock hard and he fidgeted uncomfortably, not sure what to do at this juncture when he was so clearly aroused about a story that was clearly about he, Kakashi and Gai since he knew what he was looking for. Biting his lip, Iruka looked up at Gai from under his mile long lashes with his deadly innocent but inviting gaze, beckoning the man to him while still doing nothing at all.

"I'm very sorry, Gai," he breathed.

"As you should be." Gai tried to be angry but really he felt himself being intrigued and a heavy dose of arousal was moving in. His legs started moving against his will as he sat beside Iruka and leaned over to see what page he was on.

"So what do you think? I can see you haven't finished it but an initial impression is alway a good indicator of the success." Regarding Iruka with a gentle smile, Gai waited slowly for Iruka to say or do anything.

Iruka's lusty brown eyes fell closed as Gai sat beside him, the sexy musk of the man's athletic body making his hair stand on end. 'God, I want him so bad!' Iruka's mind supplied, causing a small noise to pull from his throat. "It's good...It's very good. It's...very sexy," Iruka murmured, his hand shooting up to his face as his blushed pushed right across his scar.

Taking a deep breath, Iruka tried to push himself out of his rattled state and put on a seductive smirk. "So is this a fantasy of sorts?" he asked, leaning in towards Gai a bit more, his eyes raking down the man's sexy throat and collar bones. "Cuz there's a pretty hot therapy scene in there between Jiro and Kazou," his words were a breathy whisper, rolling seductively off his lips as his cock jumped and strained at his zipper.

"Well you see, uhm, well." Gai couldn't believe he was tongue tied about it, this was his work and Iruka was his therapist. It was just therapy. Resolved firmly in hand, Gai responded. "I guess you could call it a fantasy because I had to imagine it out all very clearly. I mean the subtle shifts in pressure on the body can result in wondrous contractions in the muscles that can be very stimulating." Gai nodded slowly and regarded, Iruka with a heavy glance.

"I had to guess but you looked flexible enough to pull off some of the moves I thought up but for others I wasn't sure." Drumming his fingers lightly on the floor, Gai gave Iruka a confident smile. "At some point I am going to do some research into different positions in order to make it more real or do you think it had enough realism to it?" Leaning back on his elbows Gai gave Iruka a heavy lidded gaze as he waited for the reply.

Swallowing thickly, Iruka looked down at Gai, the pulse point in his neck throbbing as his mind underwent a furious debate. The last shreds of his rational mind were begging him to slow down and think but Iruka's body was already moving. Crawling slowly up Gai's long body, Iruka settled his hips over Gai's. "We could find out..." he whispered again, his need pressing into Gai's hip as he licked his lips and slowly let his head descend.

Gai watched Iruka lean forward to kiss him and slowly he leaned up. Their lips brushed faintly. Taking his time Gai made a thorough exploration of Iruka's mouth. Trying to remember what he had written he leaned a little to the side so one of his arms was free. Gently he ran his fingers down Iruka's cheek caressing his neck lightly before hitting a point in Iruka's shoulders that he knew prompted a release of tension. Letting his finger tips skate down, Iruka's arm he let Iruka determine the stopping point of the kiss. Settling one hand lightly on Iruka's hip, as he nibbled lightly on Iruka's bottom lip.

"_What are you doing?" _Iruka's mind demanded as he gasped softly and melded their lips together again, his tongue tickling softly at Gai's and his body responding more every second. _"Stop this, you can't," _his mind supplied though another side of him tried to reason that this would help Gai and it wasn't just because he was horny.

Slipping a hand under Gai's hips, Iruka pulled the man's pelvis up against his, moaning into Gai's mouth as the pressure between their bodies sent waves of pleasure down his spine. "Shit..." he breathed roughly, his mouth eating hungrily at his friend's pulling the hands and body against him impatiently, wanting Gai to take more control.

"We shouldn't do this." Gai realized how ridiculous it was to say this while his hands had taken up residence quite firmly on Iruka's ass. The fact that they were massaging and squeezing firmly wasn't helping his case either. The fact that he had been, up until a moment ago, nibbling on tendons in Iruka's neck that went straight to Iruka's cock was irrelevant. Whimpering noises were quickly undoing his resolve and Gai knew that if Iruka didn't come up with some kind of objection soon then there would be no going back for either of them.

Rolling them over so that Gai could use his hands more, he hooked both of Iruka's legs over his shoulders. Looking Iruka in his eyes, Gai undid Iruka's pants and pulled them down enough to free his erection. Squeezing Iruka's balls just a little bit, Gai waited for Iruka to tell him no, tell him to stop, say anything. One hand went up Iruka's shirt to tweak a nipple and then Gai's head was down as he swallowed Iruka's erection right to the root.

The tan body convulsed with pleasure and Iruka's fingers clawed at the floor in the shock. "Nnnnnnngh nahgod yes!" Iruka squealed, one of his hands fisting tightly in Gai's hair as his hips bucked involuntarily up. Gai's mouth felt amazing, better and more eager than he'd ever had wrapped around him before. "Oh got, oh fffuu... nnnnnnngh." The word no hung on the tip of his tongue but everytime Iruka tried to get it out it came out as yes or a grunt. "Gai...fuck that's so good..." he groaned, rolling his hips into Gai's sucking mouth faster.

Working his throat muscles in rapid tempo to Iruka's thrusts, Gai channeled chakra into his throat in order to increase the sensation. Using quick bursts of chakra, Gai let his tongue transfer some of his chakra into the veins of Iruka's cock as he licked up and down. Saliva dribbling down, Iruka's balls. Then as he sucked Iruka's cock back into his mouth, Gai withdrew his chakra knowing it would feel like someone had been giving his erection an internal massage.

Raking his hands up Iruka's torso letting his chakra flicker lightly over Iruka's before he tweaked one nipple and rubbed the other. Blinking slowly at Iruka through heavy lidded eyes, Gai watched every flicker of emotion and gasping breath. Pulling off of Iruka's erection lightly he mouthed his balls taking each one in his mouth and give a deep suck. Opening wide he put both balls in his mouth and hummed lightly. Then releasing Iruka's balls, Gai moved back to Iruka's cock and went back to work, laving the pulsating length before taking it deep again and working for Iruka's orgasm.

Technique, never had Iruka witnessed the kinds of technique that Gai was showing him. His head thrashed helplessly from side to side as Gai gave him the best blow job of his life. "Kami, how are you doing that?" Iruka whimpered as his fingers dug into Gai's shoulders as the older man expertly sucked an earth shattering orgasm out of him, right form his toes.

As his balls tightened up, Iruka's bronze body bowed and he let out a shriek of delight. "Oh my god! Hhnnnnnngh. Hhhhhaaaa. Gai! Oh yes!" Iruka screamed, amazed at the intensity of the orgasm that rocked him right to his core. His tan cock exploded in Gai's hot mouth, ounces of cum spilling into the willing receptacle. Slumping bonelessly against the floor, Iruka gazed along his body at Gai, his worn muscles twitching where ever Gai touched him.

"Thank you." Gai smiled at Iruka licking Iruka's cock clean before putting it back in his pants and fixing his appearance. "I need another shower." Shaking his head at the sad state of affairs that were his pants. "Watching you come undone like that was just...unbelievable."

Cracking his head lightly, Gai tried to figure out the etiquette involved in these type of encounters but found himself lacking in the experience necessary to figure out the graceful way out of it. So for the moment, Gai stayed silent but found himself rubbing his fingers lightly over Iruka's stomach. He wasn't quite sure why he was still touching Iruka but he definitely should probably stop. Gai realized he didn't want to stop unless Iruka told him no, so he continued.

Humming softly, Iruka slid his fingers back into Gai's hair, pulling them through the silky, black locks. His mind somewhat more clear, Iruka began to feel guilty for what had happened, though he still wasn't even sure how it had come about. The only thing he knew for sure was that Gai was extremely skilled. Now he just had to decide how far to go now that he'd already crossed the line.

"Shower together?" Iruka asked, slowly rolling to a sitting position and thinking that giving Gai a great hand job in the shower for reciprocity was the least he could do. Then they could wrap it up there and he could try to figure out what he was going to tell his lover when he got home. He really wasn't sure Kakashi would understand.

"Environmentally friendly or Gai friendly?" Gai asked thoughtfully trying to get a handle on what the hell was going to happen now. All he knew for sure was that he was going to have to enjoy it because once Kakashi came back all bets were off. If he was lucky Gai would be out of the house so that Kakashi wouldn't bury him in the garden.

TBC...


	6. Chapter 6

In his thirty years on earth Gai had figured out quite a few things, however he was still a bit at a loss on happy endings. There were rarely any in real life and there sure as heck couldn't be a happy ending to whatever he and Iruka were doing. Staring at the manuscript that had started it all Gai was more than a little freaked out by the prospect of jinxing whatever was going to happen in his own life.

Finally in a stroke of genuis, Gai split the manuscript and sent it in to his editor via transfer scroll. The way the first volume ended was hot enough that it would still keep his editor happy. The first volume ended with Jiro and Kazou in a very compromising position. It was the ultimate cliff hanger and in a way Gai hoped he lived long enough to finish it all out.

Gai knew at some point he and Iruka were going to have to talk about it. What had been happening while Kakashi was away risking his life. Looking back on it Gai wanted to feel ashamed but he couldn't. The experience had made him reevaluate certain things and though he wasn't a hundred percent he was doing pretty good in therapy now. At least he thought so.

Iruka watched Gai's back as they moved through the tai chi. He noticed that Gai seemed to dislike the exercise less after their little affair. It had only been the day before but Iruka still found himself distracted by the shower they'd shared after Gai had sucked him off.

/Flashback/

Leading Gai into the spacious guest bathroom, Iruka let his shirt fall away from his body before stepping close and nuzzling Gai's collarbones as his fingers pushed at the elastic of Gai's pants. His hands smoothed up Gai's perfect stomach and back down, running once along Gai's extremely long cock when the pants fluttered to the floor.

Slipping his own pants off, Iruka started the water before pulling Gai back against him and pulling them into the spray. Running his hands along Gai's chest, Iruka hummed softly, taking the time to admire Gai's astounding physique as the water slid over his skin.

Ducking his head under the spray briefly Gai slicked his hair back from his face before picking up the body wash. Rubbing some into his hands he playfully put a dab of foam on Iruka's before gliding his hands up and down Iruka's front. Running soap slicked fingers over sturdy shoulders and a taut frame. Gai couldn't help but admire the way Iruka's body was not to overly built but lean and compact. An unexpected treat in Gai's eyes as he let his hands explore playfully where Iruka let him.

Lifting himself on his toes, Iruka's lips pulled at Gai's as he let his weight fall against the tiled wall. It was especially surprising to Iruka just how aroused Gai had him. The man's hands felt so good, almost as good as Kakashi's and better than anyone else's he'd been with, but he couldn't say why.

Flicking his tongue against Gai's, Iruka slowly trailed his fingers along Gai's body, pausing to squeeze and knead the man's rock hard ass before moving on. "So hot," he whispered seductively, wrapping a hand around Gai's length and sliding his sudsy grip along the firm flesh while he let Gai touch him everywhere.

Whistling lightly between his teeth Gai allowed Iruka to get him by the balls and Gai had to admit, Iruka was a very handy man to know. The way his cock was stroked with just the right amount of pressure was almost unreal. Almost with no real thought, Gai's own hands stroked down and went to Iruka's own slowly awakening length. Tickling along the tip, Gai gave a lazy stroke before allowing his sudsy hands to slid around Iruka's ass. Tapping lightly on Iruka's taint as his hands slipped and slid over the firm globes.

Gai whimpered lightly when Iruka found a particular sensitive spot on his anatomy right around the crown of the mushroom head on his cock. "Oh..." Biting his lip, Gai got firmer grip on Iruka. When his hands shifted, Gais's fingers once again slid lightly across, Iruka's hole before dipping further forward and tapping on his perineum.

The teasing had Iruka's hard cock twitching and his hips straining towards Gai for more stimulation. Every time Gai's long fingers brushed back against his entrance, a soft, needy noise pulled from his throat.

Wrapping both his hands around Gai's cock, Iruka used them both to work the long shaft as he tried to pull Gai closer against him, trying to get the man to press him harder against the wall, wanting to feel what that powerful body could do to him. "Gai..." he whimpered needily before nibbling at one of Gai's nipples.

There were two things that Gai realized when Iruka said his name like that one, he was going to fuck Iruka and two he was going to fuck Iruka to the point where neither would remember their names. Calling on the self control that he had developed from doing taijutsu all his life, Gai calmed himself and focused on the moment. Listening to Iruka's breathing, Gai leaned out of the shower and grabbed the oil he sometimes used on his hair off the sink.

He knew that in the place of lube it was going to do a very good job. Pulling Iruka's hair Gai licked his way into Iruka's mouth, his tongue intertwining with Iruka's while he flipped the oil into his palm. Dropping the oil, Gai called some chakra to his finger tips, bit Iruka's lip while sliding one finger right into Iruka's twitching hole. Swirling the finger lightly, Gai plundered Iruka's mouth while on the tip of his finger he concentrated the chakra. When he found the little nib of Iruka, prostate he pushed a small amount of his chakra into the surrounding tissue while his finger rubbed.

"You are so tight." Gai growled into Iruka's ear as his he pushed a second finger in.

As Gai began fingering him and pulling on his hair, Iruka yelped in surprise and pleasure, his ass gripping down around Gai's fingers like it was elasticized.

"Oh god! Oh shit, don't...stpnnnngh. nnnnawww," he moaned, meaning to tell Gai to stop but lost in the sensation. Gai's chakra infused fingertips on his prostate was way too good to make stop. Hearing Gai's voice rough and dominant like that had a fountain of precum rolling down Iruka's dark cock. He liked it when Kakashi spoke to him like that but because it seemed so out of character for Gai, it was even hotter.

Adding a third finger for the extra give, Gai knew wasn't going to be long now. Grinding his erection against Iruka's made Gai hiss in anticipation before he couldn't take it anymore. He knew what he wanted and he had the fingers in Iruka's ass to prove it. Removing his fingers Gai concentrated for a moment on sending chakra into his erection before he settled his hands on Iruka's hips.

"I hope you are ready for a ride." Gai's voice sounded dangerously dark to his own ears as he lifted Iruka up and slowly impaled him on his cock. Pleasantly surprised to find that his muscles didn't so much as twinge from lifting Iruka like that he leaned the other man back some before beginning to slam into Iruka. The chakra he had around the head of his erection mixed with the chakra that Gai had already left in the area surrounding Iruka's prostate to cause a slight suction effect whenever Gai slid into Iruka's body.

It wasn't until his lover's best friend was sliding into his body that Iruka realized just what was happening. He tried to squirm but as that chakra filled cock speared him, Iruka felt his cock give a massive twitch and his cum spray against Gai's stomach.

Cursing and clinging to Gai's body for dear life, Iruka's ass clamped down on the long cock, milking it inside his body.

"Gai..." Iruka whimpered weakly as the guilt started hitting him even harder. When the head of Gai's cock moved inside of him again, Iruka whined, this time with pleasure, unable to decide if he should make Gai stop or if he'd already gone way past the line to try to save any face at this point anyway.

Not content to just let Iruka get away with coming so soon in their interlude, Gai hooked one of Iruka, legs over his shoulder. Bending his head just so Gai sucked a line from one of Iruka's nipples to his belly button. Laving the little indention, Gai shifted Iruka just so. Licking the head of Iruka's erection lightly while his hips ground and circled inside Iruka.

When Gai was sure he had capture the attention of Iruka's erection again he shifted Iruka back up. Walking Iruka to the wall, Gai captured Iruka's lips again as he began to thrust hard and deep. The muscles in his back shaking from the desire to go all out and gain his release. Mentally Gai thanked his training for giving him complete muscle control as he built the tempo up again.

Hanging on around Gai's neck as firmly as he could, Iruka sobbed softly in bliss, his toes curling and his tongue licking along Gai's jaw and ear.

"Fuck, you feel so good. You feel so good. Ohh, Gai. Give it to me, fuck me into the wall," he breathed hoarsely, nipping firmly at Gai's skin. Iruka's hands pushed through Gai's wet hair, pulling it back off his face and he let out a groan as he licked his way up Gai's throat to his mouth.

Never one to not oblige his lovers, Gai set up a grueling pace that had Iruka slide up and down the wet tiles. Running his hands up Iruka's sides again, Gai sent a small chakra charge, to mix in Iruka's stomach knowing that it would put him on edge. Reaching his other hand around Gai pressed Chakra infused finger tips into the space just behind Iruka's balls. Knowing that his restraint was breaking, Gai turned into the beast he was often called, his chakra infused finger tips, trancing pleasure points and hitting erogenous zones. As his vision temporarily whited out, Gai roared his orgasm. The sound echoing back from the bathroom tiles.

As Iruka trembled and shook through another small orgasm as Gai filled him with his seed, Iruka panted roughly and let his legs fall away from being wrapped around Gai's waist.

Horrible guilt was already starting to eat at him but he didn't want to give Gai the impression that he was upset so he smiled, weakly but warmly at him, letting the man know that he was glad Gai had enjoyed it. "That was...really amazing," Iruka murmured, stumbling slightly as he tried to brace himself against the wall and help Gai scrub down.

"I know this was strange...but it will be okay," he told more himself than Gai. "We'll be okay and I'll be able to sort out Kakashi. Don't worry about a thing, okay?" Stepping out of the shower, Iruka wrapped himself in a towel and held one up for Gai. He really wanted to slip away so he could sort his whole head out but he knew that after that Gai would probably need the company so he wouldn't feel the way he did when he snuck off to the whore house.

"I think I need a nap." Gai sighed feeling a headache coming on. Once sexual excitement had passed his honor had come in and smacked him with his own stupidity. Guilt was currently warring through his head. He was going to own that he was probably largely responsible for the extent of what had happened.

He, the master of self control, had completely lost it. Waving away Iruka's concern Gai had wobbled off to his room and passed on on his bed for a while thinking.

The thought of losing Kakashi had Iruka temporarily fretting but he was sure he could make his lover understand that nothing that had happened between he and Gai had changed the fact that Iruka loved the man more than life. That night was Iruka's turn to sit in the gardens for hours, wondering if when his lover came back that he'd still be able to consider them his gardens.

/End flashback/

"Inhale slowly as you move the energy in front of you," Iruka murmured, though he was glancing distractedly at the sky. Kakashi had been supposed to be back today but he hadn't made it. It probably just mean he was late but he wondered...he always wondered when Kakashi was late.

"Sensei you have repeated those same instructions twice." Gai sighed falling out of his pose. "Look you are distracted. Frankly I have noticed that my chakra doesn't have that lovely parasite and instability since we..." Gai trailed off and coughed.

"Kakashi will be back soon. He can't die yet." Gai took a deep breath and decided that facing the issue head on would be more helpful. "Realistically what do you think will happen when we tell Kakashi what will happen?"

Shaking his head, Iruka stared off into the distance solemnly. "I don't know. I really don't. It might depend on how things went while he's away. Just make sure you let me handle it. He needs to hear it from me, not from you. Do you understand?" Iruka asked, knowing there was a strong possibility that Kakashi would try to really hurt Gai if the jounin told him about their indiscretion.

"Don't even mention him dying again. He's just late," Iruka reiterated exactly what had been going through his head since Kakashi had left. He just couldn't take thinking about losing Kakashi when they'd finally become so happy and settled.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm still somewhere else. I promise for our session tomorrow I'll be more focused," Iruka murmured softly. "Do you think the jutsu is gone for good now?" he asked as he perched himself on a rock.

"Iruka look I don't want anything to happen between you two and if it looks like things are going to go bad say I forced you or something. We can even blame it on the jutsu. Though I am not sorry about what happened. I mean the circumstances could have been different and that would have been preferable." Giving up on trying to speak for the time being Gai thought for a moment.

"The jutsu is no longer present in my chakra. I don't hear the voices or whispers. Nor do I feel wild fluctuations in my chakra. I just feel here and present. It's almost like once I address my anxieties it started losing the power over me."

"I'm really glad, Gai," Iruka said with a sad smile, wrapping his arms around his upper arms tightly as if for warmth on the warm summer day.

"I'd never do that to you, you know," he said softly, looking at Gai to make sure he understood. "Kakashi would kill you, literally, if you said you'd raped me. Don't even think about that anymore, okay?" he demanded, his voice incredibly firm.

"Yes but he would still have you and the memory of me would fade and there would still be a chance for you two to be happy." Gai murmured softly placing a gentle hand on Iruka's shoulder.

"As much as I love Kakashi I have come to care about you too. Your happiness and his surpass my own need to be happy because if you aren't then how can I be." Gai felt slightly awkward admitting it. "Besides Kakashi is a strange man at the best of times and a contrary one at the worst so we don't even know how he will act."

"It will be okay," Iruka murmured, not looking entirely convinced but clearly not willing to admit otherwise.

Over the next couple of days Iruka was eternally grateful that Gai didn't keep bringing it up again. It made the gnawing anxiety he always got when Kakashi was late coming home stay trapped in his stomach. Every time the chakra around the house would shift or flicker he'd perk up, pause whatever he was doing to see if he could feel his lover.

It was excruciating but it was the life. It was the cost of having a relationship when you were a shinobi.

"Gai, why did it have to be Kakashi?" Iruka asked, not bothering to take notes anymore when they were talking. "You've been so fixated on him for so long and he had hurt you so badly. Why did it have to be Kakashi?" Iruka asked again, settling himself against his rock casually.

"Maybe I am a masochist?" Gai shrugged before laughing, "You know how you get when someone doubts your worth. I wanted to prove that I could be someone important. Then of course when I started watching Kakashi change and morph. He became someone I knew I would be happy with." Shrugging Gai thought some more. "It was in his eye too. He no longer looked at me so coldly but with more of a glint like every time I popped up to issue a challenge there would be this barely there flicker of emotion before his trademark bored expression came on."

Humming softly in acknowledgment, Iruka braided a chuck of his hair absentmindly. "Do you ever think that has hurt you. Not maybe giving other people a decent chance?"

Iruka didn't get a chance to hear the answer because with a tiny wave of chakra rippled through the house. Iruka paused for a long moment before jumping to his feet and dashing to the front door.

Sighing, Kakashi dropped his gear on the porch and pulled off his bloody stab vest just in time to have the door slide open and his lover leap into his arms.

"I missed you too, baby," he murmured, soaking in the comfort of Iruka's body wrapped tightly around his.

Knowing what that flash of chakra meant, Gai decided to make himself scarce. Going into his room, he grabbed the transfer scroll and his still uncompleted second half of his manuscript. The book had come out yesterday in some of the villages around Konoha in limited release and there wasn't a book left in circulation at the moment. Gai's editor was through the moon but Gai himself had more pressing worries.

Writing about the triumphant return of Akira, in the manuscript from his sojourn took Gai several attempts. Gai listened with a distracted ear for any disturbance in the house but at the moment their didn't appear to be any killing intent and so Gai continued to write leaving the couple to get reacquainted.

When Gai finally wearied of writing he started to go through his modified workout regimen. Since he couldn't run well enough without leaving the property he worked on raising his heart rate though other means. He wasn't sure how much time passed but Gai knew he was sore and tired when he was done. Gathering his work, Gai snuck into his room and put everything down. Sneaking down the hallway, Gai hopped into the shower. It was a little too quiet in the house and Gai knew the other shoe would drop soon.

Iruka took his time looking after Kakashi, running him a bath, kissing the pale face tenderly while they waited for the tub to fill, and slowly ran the cloth over his entire body while Kakashi sat back in the water. Now that he could see and touch Kakashi again, Iruka really began to worry about what Kakashi was going to say, worry if they'd even stay together.

"You're trembling," Kakashi broke the silence, grabbing the hand with the washcloth and noting the very slight, anxious tremors that shook it. "You're terrified," he intuited, reaching a wet hand up and brushing a lock of Iruka's hair off his face, surprised when Iruka's chin dropped right to his chest. "Terrified of me. What's going on, Ru?" he asked, finding this strange new development with his lover.

Swallowing thickly, Iruka lifted his watery, brown eyes back to Kakashi. "Only scared to lose you," he whispered, cupping his hands around Kakashi's and bringing all of them to his forehead. "I've done something very foolish. It doesn't even seem real now and I don't know...why..." Choking on his words, Iruka trailed off, looking at his lover pleadingly, desperate not to say out loud how he'd broken his lover's trust.

Studying Iruka, Kakashi thought of what would make Iruka respond like this. Calm, sensible, sweet Iruka who would do everything in his power to not intentionally hurt anyone. Leaning back in the tub, Kakashi let his hands rest lightly on the edge of the tub. His pose was relaxed but in his mind he knew if things were going to be bad then he needed to brace himself.

Nodding curtly, Kakashi waited for Iruka to explain himself. In his mind Kakashi let the worse case scenarios go through his head and as Iruka began to speak, Kakashi filtered in every word and action. Kakashi wanted to make sure that whatever situation that he was going to be hearing about he could figure out the best course of action.

When Kakashi pulled his hand out of his, Iruka felt his eyes well up and slumped back against the wall, looking at Kakashi miserably.

"Kakashi, I slept with someone while you were gone." Iruka held Kakashi's gaze while he spoke but dropped it immediately after his admission. "I don't know what came over me and I'm so...so sorry," he murmured, a pair of heavy tears falling from his eyes as he stared at his lap. "I'll do or have you do whatever you need to to me to make this right with us...if you think that can be."

The silence between them was sickening and Iruka chanced a glance up at the silver haired man. "Do you want me to go for a bit...give you a chance to think?" he asked, hoping that perhaps a bit of absence on his part might make Kakashi realize how much they'd miss one another if they split. "I'll do anything to make this up to you..." he breathed, another pair of tears falling from his eyes and streaking down his cheeks.

For a little longer Kakashi maintained his silence. Though his mind was anything but quiet. As thoughts raced through his mind, Kakashi contemplated the main thing that he needed to know.

"Who was it?" Kakashi asked firmly for the moment ignoring the question of Iruka leaving. The image of Iruka leaving him permanently was just a little too much for him to take even if he just left for a while, Kakashi knew that in his present state of mind that would be a bad idea.

Hugging his knees, Iruka shook his head. "That doesn't really matter. It's better you don't know. It was my fault after all," he murmured, hardly believing that this was happening, that Kakashi was so upset that he stood a very good chance of losing everything. "I know you have the right but trust me it's better you don't know," Iruka murmured, under no delusion that Kakashi wouldn't put it together eventually. Even now he could feel Gai's unrest through the seal. "Please, Kashi," Iruka murmured, batting his lashes to blink back the tears. "Tell me what I need to do."

"You need to tell me who it was." Kakashi spoke firmly. He realized then that it must be someone he was close to but the only person who came to mind immediately had been on a mission with him. There was really no one else that Kakashi could think..."Gai.' Kakashi spoke then name without a hint of inflection. He didn't need to ask the question he knew that it had to be Gai. Standing from the bath, Kakashi rinsed himself off before wrapping a towel around his waist.

Leaning down he looked at Iruka. "I want you to get Gai and I want you both to meet me in the bedroom." Kakashi touched Iruka's hair lightly before walking out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. Pulling on one of his masks and throwing on a pair of comfortable pants, he sat on the bed with his feet up and his arms crossed patiently. Then realizing it may take a while for Iruka to collect himself and retrieve Gai, Kakashi dug the book he had bought on the way home.

The bookstore he had stopped in had been in an uproar over the book. There were so few copies available that people had to draw lots to see who would get a book. Kakashi had been intrigued but then to find out a gay romance was the cause of the commotion had just been the icing on the cake. It hadn't been a problem for Kakashi to get his hands on the book.

Now that he had the subject of Iruka's infidelity weighing on his mind, Kakashi figured the book would be a good cover for his inner turmoil. Reading the books initial with only half an eye while his brain thought, Kakashi found himself melting into the story. It was absolutely riveting and Kakashi could actually relate to the character Akira's life. Only slightly aware of his surroundings, Kakashi began to really get into the novel.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Relations between Senseis  
>Pairing: (KakaIru, GaiIru, KakaGai with eventual GaiKakaIru )<br>Rating: M for Sex, Violence and Mature themes  
>Warnings: Attempted Suicide, Violence, Polyamorous Relationship<br>Summary: There is a lot more to Maito Gai then meets the eye and unfortunately it takes some bad things happening before Kakashi and Iruka realize it. (Summary not so great but story is better)  
>Author's Note: Hello everyone. I got a great review and it got me going to get this next piece up. I figured I would put up the next chapter after five reviews. So if it only takes an hour for me to get them or a week that is when the next chapter is coming. I had to split it from this one because it was too long for my tastes otherwise.<p>

Kakashi's request confused and frightened Iruka, not understanding at all what his lover was thinking. He ran his hand over where Kakashi had touched him, stewing for a minute before finally getting to his feet and padding softly down the wood halls.

Rapping his knuckles softly on Gai's door, Iruka did his best to compose himself before sliding the door open slowly.

"Gai?" Iruka asked before stepping into the room. "He wants to speak with us," he whispered, looking very much the part of the beta male at that moment with his head down and his shoulders slumped. If he'd had a tail it would have been firmly between his legs.

"Will you come?" he asked nervously, looking up at Gai pleadingly briefly before dropping his gaze again.

"Do you really have to ask?" Gai sighed standing. Putting his hand on Iruka's shoulder he tilted Iruka's head up. "It will work out. I promise somehow." Giving Iruka a confident smile, Gai straightened his posture up. Clad in a green pair of pants, and a white muscle shirt, Gai walked down the hallway confidently.

Once he reached the bedroom door, he gave a knock and strolled in. His bravado abruptly evaporated when he saw Kakashi sitting on the bed with Gai's book in hand, apparently absorbed. Gai had the urge to beat a hasty retreat but swallowed it. He leaned against the wall and patiently waited for Kakashi to pay attention.

Slinking around the corner, Iruka stood a safe distance away from Gai, making himself look very small as he wrapped his arms around himself and toeing his bare feet at the ground.

"Kashi?" he asked after what had felt like hours but probably wasn't even thirty seconds of standing in silence. When his lover didn't respond, Iruka fell silent again, squeezing his arms tighter to keep from shaking.

After another long moment Kakashi dragged his eyes off of the book in his hands. Both eyes regarded the two men in front of him. Iruka looked like he was going to go into shock and Gai looked resigned.

"Iruka, on the bed." Patting the space next to him. Kakashi went back to his reading again, continuing to ignore Gai even though the man was practically pulsing nervous energy. Wrapping an arm around Iruka, Kakashi continued to read.

Soaking up the comfort of Kakashi's touch, Iruka gave Gai a very confused look, not having the faintest idea what was going on. Resting a hand on Kakashi's thigh, Iruka looked over his lover's shoulder, gasping softly when he recognized the characters in the book. His eyes snapped up to Gai and back down to the book significantly.

"Where did you get that?" he asked softly, not wanting to disrupt Kakashi too much if the man wasn't about to disown him.

"On the way in. Apparently it is in limited release right now." Kakashi tweaked Iruka's ear and didn't say anything else for a time before adding, "This author doesn't allow for these books to be distributed in Konoha."

Gai meanwhile was alternatively embarrassed, annoyed, worried and just generally confused. He knew Kakashi was strange and would probably be unpredictable in this type of situation but this was just surreal.

Finally thinking up the only scenario that fit in with this situation, Gai determined that Kakashi was showing him who Iruka belonged too. Knowing that he was getting off lightly if that was the case, Gai turned towards the door, the thought firmly entrenched only to be stopped by a kunai flying past his face just inches in front of his nose.

"Sit." The growl that accompanied that order had Gai hesitating only slightly before sitting on the floor.

Flinching when Kakashi threw the kunai, Iruka whimpered softly, cuddling in closer to Kakashi and laying his head on Kakashi's shoulder. This wouldn't normally be his reaction to Kakashi's behavior but he'd never done anything to put himself in this position before. He wanted to beg Kakashi to stop taking it out on Gai but considering neither of them were bleeding they'd gotten off remarkably lightly.

"Baby, please say something," he breathed against Kakashi's neck.

The silver haired man didn't respond, just continued flipping the pages at a slightly accelerated rate. There was a thick silence between the three of them as he reached the end of the book and closed it with a loud snap.

He regarded the two people he cared deeply for silently for a long moment, his gaze cool and calculating.

"What you did was hurtful," Kakashi murmured, giving Iruka in particular a hard look. "You two are my precious people and if you ever do that to me again..." Kakashi didn't know what he would do in that situation so he just left it open ended, letting their own imaginations fill in the remainder.

"If you two want to fuck, I'd better be sitting in a front row seat, do you understand?" He glared slightly at Gai, making sure the man knew that this was no joke. He didn't condone what had happened at all but in his opinion it could have been much worse.

"Kashi?" Iruka asked, his chocolate brows furrowing. He wasn't sure what to make of this new development but the fact that Kakashi wasn't tossing him out of their home on his ass was more than he could have hoped for. "It won't happen again, babe," he whispered, nuzzling Kakashi's chin sheepishly. "But what..." he asked, his tone showing that he didn't get it.

Gai was going to pretend that he didn't feel a bit like he had been stabbed repeatedly. His emotions were jumbled at best from Kakashi then Iruka and he needed a walk, bad. Standing up he tried to leave again only a shuriken that ruffled his bangs kept him in place. Turning around Gai regarded Kakashi with a flinty look.

"I am tired of having my emotions played with." Gai felt like chucking the shuriken back at Kakashi but refrained because at the moment he knew he'd miss.

"Sit," Tapping his foot on the end of the bed pointedly; Kakashi waited to be obeyed but Gai remained standing.

There was something Kakashi had to know and Gai's stubborn insistence on standing made Kakashi pointedly ask, "So was sleeping with Iruka another contest something else for us to compete at?"

Gai was in shock, absolute shock he couldn't believe Kakashi would think, just the thought of playing with someone like that...Shifting his chin to his chest Gai tried to remember to breath and not let Kakashi get to him but that had hurt.

"I'm not you, rival. I don't play with people's emotions or attempt to be intentionally cruel just because I can." Gai continued to direct his gaze to the floor, angry at himself for loving the bastard. He was practically shaking with emotion.

"Yet you slept with Iruka anyway." Kakashi spoke up helpfully a fake smile showing in his eye.

"Having sex with Iruka had nothing to do with you, surprisingly enough." Gai could barely contain his anger of all the nerve and the gall, his insides were screaming. Hot tears were gathering and he was trying to pull it together but being emotionless had never been his strong suit.

"Now if you don't mind I would like to leave. I think you two can talk fine without me here."

Rolling his eye heavenward, Kakashi bit his thumb and smeared the blood on the wall. This time a ward kept Gai from leaving.

"Why don't you sit and we talk and then maybe you can runaway, later." Kakashi drawled.

"Gai," Iruka soothed, patting the bed for Gai to come and sit with them. "I know that must have been hurtful but considering what happened, I think he had a right to ask about our motivations." He gave Gai a sympathetic look, trying to show that he understood both sides. "He was just trying to gauge your reaction."

Motioning Gai over again, Iruka looked at Kakashi and pulled the book from his hands, holding it so he could see the cover. "Maybe he would understand if you were honest with him," he murmured, handing the book to Gai as he sat.

For a moment Gai could only look at the book in his hands. He didn't want to be honest. Hell if he were honest...

Kakashi looked at the book, looked at Iruka, looked at Gai and thought, hard.

"No I don't think this situation needs to be more complicated. We can just all consider this a mistake and never speak about it again." Gai tried to give one of his trademark smiles but it fell flat.

"I am sorry that I betrayed your trust and I will refrain from making any untoward motions in Iruka sensei's direction." Quietly, Gai placed the book on the bed and contemplated the final death scene for his character. He could cry about it later but at the moment he just didn't want to think.

Giving Kakashi's hand a squeeze, Iruka slid forward along the mattress, reaching out to try to grab Gai's hand as he paced by them. "Gai, stop. Look at me," Iruka commanded gently, giving Kakashi a worried look. Gai had come along well in their work but he could feel through the seal his friend relapsing right in front of him.

"Gai, I'm so sorry for doing this to you, to both of you. It's my fault. You were so vulnerable, I thought it would help you but it's only making things worse for you now." When Gai tried to slip past him again, Iruka grabbed his arm and pulled him down to the bed.

"Don't start going backwards, Gai," he murmured, cupping the man's jaw. "We care about you, both of us," Iruka gave a pointed look over his shoulder at Kakashi. "Tell me what you're thinking. I can feel that you're feeling very negative." He rested his hand on Gai's stomach, reminding him that the seal was still active before glancing at Kakashi for help. Something had to happen to keep Gai from pulling away but the only thing he could think of he wouldn't dare initiate after what he'd done to Kakashi.

"Don't touch me." Gai pushed Iruka away.

When Kakashi moved Gai only had a moment to get out of the way. Shifting just so, Kakashi's fist slid past his face. Gai leaped onto the bed to avoid the next move and found himself trapped by the real Kakashi when the clone dispersed.

"Let me go." Gai yelled trying to fight free of Kakashi who had latched himself onto Gai's back and was currently prevent Gai from using his arms. Though it took both his own arms wrapped around Gai and his legs wrapped securely to keep Gai's arms down.

"No. I will not lose another precious person do you hear me Gai?" Kakashi's voice was quiet yet strangely intent. "Don't make me visit the memorial stone for you."

Slowly Gai's rage and despair quieted some. He had never heard, Kakashi speak that way about him before. Grunting lightly, Gai tried to extract himself and found that it wasn't happening without causing Kakashi injury.

"We both know that's what you're thinking, Gai. We can feel it. It's also why the jutsu worked on you, because you are suicidal, or at least thinking about it a lot." Letting his feet rest again on the floor, Kakashi slid one of his arms up higher, making his grip more of a hug. "You can be so stupid," Kakashi admonished tactlessly as he rested his forehead on Gai's shoulder. "Do you think I'd ever forgive myself for not doing something? Do you think Iruka and I could ever live a happy life if you hurt yourself? That I, now both of us, would even be the same people?"

Kakashi firmly turned Gai around to face him, his hands heavy on the man's muscular shoulders in case the Gai still intended to bolt.

"Now you're making this harder on us so get it through your head that we love you and go give my boyfriend a kiss before you make him start to cry again." Clapping the side of Gai's neck, he gave the man a forgiving smile through his mask before looking at Iruka, though it was clear that the time to get to Iruka before he started crying again had passed.

"I'm sorry Iruka sensei." Gai mumbled walking over and giving Iruka a quick one armed hug before leading him over to Kakashi. Giving Iruka a quick kiss on the temple per Kakashi's instructions.

Then seeing as he couldn't leave the suite, Gai walked into the bathroom. Closing the door and locking it for some privacy, Gai ran the water and cried. Kakashi had never in all the years that Gai had known him showed him anything but disdain or boredom or sly amusement. To get genuine affection from Kakashi was both a mood lifter. The only downside was that Kakashi would only ever think of him as a friend.

Splashing water on his face, Gai took deep breaths before leaving the bathroom. Putting a small smile on his face, Gai left the bathroom.

"Can I go now? I want to sleep. Today has been a trial and I know you both must be exhausted." Being as accommodating as possible Gai tried to excuse himself but the wards weren't allowing him to leave.

Pulling back the covers, Kakashi got in the bed and scooted towards the middle before patting the space behind him. Gai blinked at Kakashi slowly.

"What?" Gai didn't want to misunderstand.

"Consider it a sleepover and get in." Kakashi pulled Iruka in on his other side.

Hesitantly Gai approached the bed and gingerly sat down. Practically hanging on the edge of the mattress, Gai lay rigidly until Kakashi gave him a look and then he scooted over. For a long time, Gai didn't sleep just laying there next to the man he had adored for years and the man's lover. Wondering and thinking before finally he drifted off.

Iruka squirmed in his sleep, lifting a leg over Kakashi's and pressing against him tighter. Cracking open an eye he was surprised to find he was rock hard and he wasn't alone. He could feel against his leg that Kakashi was also sporting a needy hardness.

Lifting his head, Iruka saw that Kakashi was awake, the arm that was wrapped around Gai was gently brushing up and down the raven's arm with his thumb and Iruka smirked and teased his hand up Kakashi's hardness, smirking at his lover through the moon lit room.

Returning the smirk, Kakashi rocked his hips up into Iruka's hand once before nodding towards the sleeping nin. He could feel Gai's firm cock against his hip but he'd woken up when he'd felt Gai's arousal pulsing through the seal. Obviously Iruka had felt it too. Pulling Iruka's head back to his shoulder, Kakashi smiled softly to himself behind his mask and tried to ignore his aching erection and go back to sleep.

Gai had woken up slowly. He was face down in a pillow that smelled like Kakashi and he was horny as hell. Glancing at the door, he noticed that the wards were down. Slowly Gai extracted himself from the bed. Using stealth that he normally didn't possess, Gai went downstairs and started breakfast. He did put an ice cube down his pants first to take care of his erection. Certain things Gai didn't want to be communicated if possible.

In a small way last night had been healing and Gai liked that. After preparing what he could of breakfast considering he was still banned from sharp objects, Gai set out the food and put a stasis jutsu on it before going to get into his workout clothes. He figured Kakashi and Iruka would be in bed a while longer yet.

As Gai slipped out of the room, Kakashi rolled over and started kissing Iruka's throat, pressing his aching cock into his lover's abs. When Iruka awoke with a small moan and a giggle, Kakashi groaned and rolled right on top of him, mock molesting the tan body.

"Fuck, he was turned on all night. How could he sleep at all?" Kakashi grumbled, man handling Iruka onto his side again and grinding himself furiously against the firm, round cheeks while his hand fondled the tan cock.

"He doesn't have anyone like we have each other. Can you blame him? He probably felt like he was a part of something for a night." Pulling Kakashi's hand up from his cock, Iruka kissed the tips of the pale fingers and sighed. "He's so alone baby. It breaks my heart. I think I'd be worse though if I didn't have you." When Kakashi hummed and started kissing the back of his neck, Iruka grinned and flipped over so he could look Kakashi in the eye.

"Why don't I give you a little something to help you get started today," Iruka murmured, sliding down under the covers and taking Kakashi in his mouth, pulling out the odd trick that he'd picked up from Gai until Kakashi was spilling in his mouth.

"Mmm, we'll have to make some time for other activities this afternoon," Iruka murmured, indicating to Kakashi that he'd survive with his erection before dragging himself out of bed.

Gai was pretty sure that the couple had had enough time to enjoy together when he got back to the house from his workout. Sweat was pouring off his body and he had unzipped the spandex jump suit so that the top half hung down. He had tied the sleeves together in order to keep them out of the way while he moved around.

Gai thanked whichever one of Kakashi's ancestors who had thought that a big property was a good idea. While lapping the property wasn't as good of a workout as the village, Gai still felt accomplished running around. That combined with his plyometric workouts helped Gai's workouts stay effective.

Going into the kitchen, Gai made himself a protein shake before sitting at the dining room table. Eating an apple and drinking his shake, Gai contemplated what he was going to do with his writing. The second book would need to be in soon. As he was thinking, Iruka came in. Nodding to him, Gai continued to eat.

"Sorry I am sweaty but I was hungry." Shrugging Gai continued to eat.

Smirking at the ripped, glistening body, Iruka shrugged. "Don't be," he purred, finding the breakfast that Gai had made for them and releasing the jutsu around it. "Mmm, this smells great. If I want a break from cooking like this we might just have to keep you," he joked, though the thought had crossed his mind.

"Morning," Kakashi mumbled as he stepped into the room, pausing in his tracks for a moment when he caught sight of Gai's body, not covered completely in green for a change. After spending the night with Gai's erection digging into his side, he couldn't help but look at the man in a different light.

"Sleep okay?" he asked finally, partially being a smart ass and partially at a loss for anything else to comment on.

Grunting Gai, looked at Kakashi blandly. "Someone kept touching me last night." Finishing his shake, he stretched before looking at Iruka. "Do I get a free day today or am stuck in therapy all morning."

When Iruka gave him a look, Gai sighed, "Therapy why is it always therapy." Grumbling Gai went to take a shower and make himself comfortable. He knew the conversation was going to be something else. For all Gai liked to hear himself talk on occasion. Therapy made him want to knock himself out.

Even now though he had been in therapy for weeks he still didn't like examining his feelings on anything if he could help it. If he was lucky Iruka and Kakashi would head back to their bedroom. Gai knew his luck was crappy though so he hopped in the shower and washed off. Realizing he hadn't brought any clothes into the bath in his distracted state, Gai ambled by Kakashi in the hallway while he was dripping wet and scurried into his room.

Kakashi turned right back around and went back into the dining room.

"Weren't you going to get something?" Iruka raised an eyebrow at Kakashi thoughtfully.

Kakashi's mouth worked but the only sound that came out was shower.

"Ahh Gai walked past you in nothing but a towel." Patting Kakashi's hand, Iruka smiled into his tea cup. "It's quite a view."

After breakfast and getting cleaned up, Iruka met Gai in the garden, gesturing to the man to lay down with his head in Iruka's lap.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Iruka asked gently, pulling his fingers through Gai's black hair, still damp from his shower. "That was quite a night last night," he murmured, knowing Gai must be lost in the emotions that last night had probably evoked.

"Weird." Gai sighed. "No laughing." Pointing at Iruka and glaring before grinning, "Weird choice of words all things considering. It was surreal because in all the years that I have known him that was the most emotion and sincerity he has ever shown me." Thinking for a bit, Gai tried to put into words what he was feeling but failing that he shrugged. "I don't know."

Looking at the sky, Gai contemplated life for a bit and how weird it was. "How do you think it all went?"

Chuckling softly, Iruka leaned back against his usual rock. "I think it went amazingly well. I've been trying to tell you all along that you really are an important part of Kakashi's life. Seems like now you sort of have to believe it," Iruka added tapping the end of Gai's nose.

"How did it feel to be in bed with us? Uncomfortable? Torturous? Exciting?" Iruka asked, trying to keep Gai engaged.

Scratching his chin Gai thought about how he had felt. "Comfortable." Nodding in self confirmation, "I felt comfortable, warm and happy."

Gai's mind raced for a bit as analyzed the situation they had been in. "It's hard to believe still. I feel as though I dreamed it all."

Smiling placidly, Iruka was glad that they'd given Gai this but the nagging question of where it would go from here kept bothering him. He had a strong desire to ask Kakashi about it, see if they couldn't do something to keep Gai from falling back into his lonely state.

"Now why didn't you tell him last night? Tell him about the book and your feelings? It wasn't a bad time for it."

"I don't know. I can only take so much I guess." Shrugging Gai sighed. "Besides he never said anything about it. So I refrained from saying anything because I don't know if he caught on or what. I mean you didn't even get to read the final copy, just up to a point." Tapping his fingers on his stomach, Gai thought about if there was anything else lurking in his mind that he needed to tell Iruka. "I guess ultimately I am a precious person to him and have that confirmed. I don't want to lose that status. It would more than likely kill me before I could even make an attempt. Love sucks." Gai pout petulantly feeling like his last sentence was justifiable.

Humming softly in acknowledgment, Iruka continued to play with Gai's hair. "It can be, but it's worth it when it's right. In an ideal world what would you want to happen, Gai,?" Iruka asked, trying to glean if the idea in his head was what Gai even wanted for himself.

"I don't know." Gai shrugged. "I mean I just." Frustrated Gai abruptly stood up and started pacing.

Iruka had realized that he had gotten use to Gai's sudden movements when he needed think. It had taken Iruka some time to figure out what some of the higher ups must have realized. Gai was constantly moving and posing, not so much for effect but because he thought better in motion. He was more honest when he was still but in motion he had an animal like cunning that Iruka was finding himself occasionally weary of. Iruka figured that distracting Gai from the question by reworking his approach Iruka spoke again.

"Gai why are you call the Green Beast?"

As Gai prowled further away Iruka wondered if Gai even heard him but when Gai made an abrupt about face, Iruka realized that Gai was regarding him with curiosity.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Gai wanted to know, his thought process temporarily halted by Iruka's sudden question.

"Just answer the question." Iruka waved his hand nonchalantly.

"No."

Blinking slowly in shock, Iruka had never actually gotten a straight no before from Gai. Thinking back Iruka realized that he wasn't sure Gai had so the word no within his hearing. It wasn't a word that the normally polite and well mannered man even seemed to know how to say.

"I could always ask Kakashi." Iruka commented trying to play off his shock but realizing that Gai was shaking his head.

"You could but he doesn't know either." Gai turned around and started going through katas while he waited for Iruka to gather himself.

"Talk to me as you move. Why in particular are you agitated this morning. It's important for you to try to isolate what is bothering you so you can analyze and determine if there's anything you can or want to do about it," Iruka instructed, hoping he hadn't lost Gai's attention already.

"I am not agitated. I don't want to answer you." Moving through his stances Gai sighed lightly when he noticed that Iruka was wearing his stubborn face.

"Look what I want I can't have and what I could substitute for that is unlikely to happen so I won't spend my youth hoping for it."

Sighing when it was clear that Gai wasn't going to be cooperative today, Iruka frowned and stood up. "Gai, you're so...set on this one way things have to be for you and if you could see that there are even slight variations on the same idea that would make you happy you probably would feel a lot different about your circumstances." Shaking his head sadly, Iruka plucked a blossom from one of the beds and studied it. "But if you're not even willing to talk things out with me there's not much point in trying to have sessions."

Pinning Gai with a serious and exasperated look, Iruka shrugged his shoulders. "I'm trying to help you, Gai, to work with you. The mission's desk is a mess and I miss my class but working with you was far more important to me than any of that. It's very frustrating that you're fighting me so hard when I'm doing this for you. I know therapy is hard but you also know it will help so...please keep in mind. Go do what you want. It's clear you're not going to work today anyway," Iruka huffed, just on the edge of being angry but still keeping his temper in check thus far.

Underneath his frustration with Gai blocking him at ever single turn, Iruka was hurt and disappointed that Gai only seemed really interested in Kakashi and he was nothing special in the equation, just the reason that Gai couldn't be with Kakashi.

Stopping his dead in his stance Gai looked at Iruka. Walking over to him, Gai put his hands on either side of Iruka's face so he could make sure that Iruka was looking at him. Gathering himself in order to just lay it all out there, Gai looked deep into Iruka's eyes.

"Iruka when I first came here all I wanted was Kakashi and now after getting to know you and actually being with you, I want you both." Releasing Iruka, Gai sat back on his heels. "I'm confused I don't know how to process that I want to be with two people at the same time. Enjoying a relationship with two people at the same time is a bit of a foreign concept here in Konoha."

Shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts Gai sighed. "I want to do something that I don't even think is possible to have or to want or can't even happen." Raking his hands through his hair, making the silky strands stand on end, Gai began pacing.

"There's your answer, Iruka sensei. It's out there in the open and there is no taking it back." Looking at Iruka's slightly surprised face, Gai smiled fondly. Then turning from Iruka, Gai transported himself into his bedroom. Lying in the bed he thought about what Iruka had said. "Maybe it would just be easier if I went to the hospital."

Gai spoke aloud just to hear the words before sighing. "I can't do that because then I will miss my rival and Iruka sensei." Covering his head with the pillow Gai let out a frustrated sigh.

Huffing, Iruka padded slowly back into the house. "He always pops away when he finally says something that could be progress," Iruka sighed, crawling onto his bed and flopping onto his back.

Iruka had never been the type to approve of poly-amorous relationships. In his opinion they never worked out because feelings could never be doled out perfectly evenly. Even if he and Kakashi could somehow magically bring Gai into their relationship there were sure to be jealousies between all of them, including himself.

There were many hurdles to cross far before that though. What would Kakashi say if he even suggested it? What would Gai really say if Kakashi agreed, because the entire relationship dissolving in time would be completely plausible.

Still, the more pertinent question is what would happen if they didn't. The thought of losing Gai from their lives made Iruka want to bawl. Even now he could feel the elder man's complete despair through the seal. How could he not suggest it? How could he possibly expect it to work though if Gai didn't even trust him with his inner feelings.

Huffing, Iruka decided that the constant circling of the issues wouldn't help so he lay down for a nap and decided should Kakashi appear today that he'd speak to Kakashi about it later if he got a chance.


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Relations between Senseis  
>Pairing: (KakaIru, GaiIru, KakaGai with eventual GaiKakaIru )<br>Rating: M for Sex, Violence and Mature themes  
>Warnings: Attempted Suicide, Violence, Polyamorous Relationship<br>Summary: There is a lot more to Maito Gai then meets the eye and unfortunately it takes some bad things happening before Kakashi and Iruka realize it. (Summary not so great but story is better)  
>Author's Note: Happy Birthday to ME! I got five reviews so here you go. If I can get five more I will work on getting the rest out.<p>

After a restorative though inadvertent nap, Gai got up and decided to fix lunch. He was surprised to find Kakashi already there stirring pots and whistling lightly. Staring at Kakashi for a moment, Gai went and grabbed the silverware but was waved away.

"Go wake 'Ruka." Kakashi flicked a noodle at him.

"I would rather stir the pot I don't think he would be happy to see me." Gai grimaced lightly and just dodged out of the way of another noodle.

"Go fix it then but it's lunch time." Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Gai imperiously.

Knowing that the eyebrow was the equivalent of a marching order, Gai went up stairs and stopped at the door of Iruka and Kakashi's bedroom.

Feeling a bit anxious, Gai knocked lightly before opening the door.

"Iruka. Iruka sensei it's lunch time." Gai called quietly.

Iruka stretched and looked toward the door, sighing softly at Gai's appearance as he blinked the sleep out of his eyes. The man looked so sheepish but Iruka wondered if he really knew what he was upset about.

"Just...Iruka, Gai," Iruka yawned, rolling his shoulders and propping himself up on his elbows. "What are we having?" he asked, his expression showing he'd much rather continue with his nap if he could.

"Ask Kakashi but I am guessing from the noodles that were flicked at me that it was ramen." Gai remarked walking over and sitting on the bed at Iruka's feet. "I know it's just Iruka but it is a force of habit. Regular use makes for an addiction that can be hard to break."

Hearing that it was ramen made Iruka perk up some and he pushed himself vertical a little more and studied the raven haired man.

"Do you know what the problem is?" Iruka asked, not really giving Gai any frame of reference to guess from. "You have already ruled out the fact that someone could make you happy. First you were completely fixated on Kakashi. Now you'd like to be with both of us, and have already decided that too isn't worth fighting for or even trying. But above and beyond all that you've barely even given someone else a try. I think a large part of you enjoys being lonely, enjoys being a loner and a martyr for the village. But if you keep that up we're going to lose you one way or another so I wish you'd stop fighting the people around you who want to help you and see you happy? Why is it so hard?" he asked, looking Gai square in the eyes.

"And why do you always have to run away? It's extremely frustrating." Iruka growled, flopping back to the mattress and stretching right from his toes again.

"The 'haven't given anyone a chance' argument isn't a valid one because I have on three separate occasions and let me tell you I'd rather take a battle axe to the sternum then go through that level of hell." Gai scratched his head and watched Iruka stretch with interest before smacking himself back on track conversationally. "When I say I tried I fought hard but it didn't work for two of those relationships I'll take the blame on their ending. As for the not fighting part, I would fight if I thought there was a chance. My whole way of the ninja has seemingly revolves around being the long shot and doing the impossible."

Deciding that switching topics would be best, Gai attacked that last part of Iruka's statement. "On other topics I will have you know I don't run away. I strategically retreat." Feel his lip twitch in his attempt to be completely serious Gai smiled.

Nodding, Iruka draped an arm over his eyes, thinking about going back to sleep after all. "You're hurting yourself by strategically retreating from your emotions, Gai. I don't think there's much more I can do about it right now. I'll tell the Hokage that you probably need to be monitored a bit more but you don't have to do sessions anymore, at least not with me. Maybe she can line someone else up for you in a little while. If you're comfortable with it you should probably stay here though."

It was a bit of a shallow attempt to get Gai to work harder with him but really Iruka meant what he said. He hoped that Gai would see this as his own little challenge and would rise to meet it but it was also a risk. If Gai didn't want help, didn't want his help, he'd jump at the opportunity to get away from both of them.

"I am not going to lie, I miss missions but..." Gai tried to figure out a way to get across what he wanted to say that wouldn't sound stupid. "I'm going to have to just say it. I want you to still help me when you have time and I want to stay here with you and Kakashi."

Looking at his feet, Gai let his nervous energy show through his legs. "I can live with going to therapy with you; I don't think there would be anyone else I could talk to. They would all either laugh at me or be too afraid of me."

Sighing, Iruka gave Gai a very evaluating look. "Are you prepared to do the work and to be honest with me? There's no point if you're not," Iruka murmured sternly. If you're not you need to find someone else. And you NEED to stop assuming you know how people will treat you. Everyone has had rough experiences with the people who live here but really, most of us are decent. You're limiting yourself but assuming that. But if you want to keep working with me then I'm happy to. Just no more of this half-assed therapy, okay?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow much the way Kakashi had before at him.

"I am now convinced that the eyebrow technique can be learned." Gai murmured before standing and putting his hand over his heart. "I promise that I will give my all in therapy like I would train on my honor as a Konoha ninja and taijutsu master." Giving Iruka a deep bow, Gai smiled radiantly at Iruka. "Now my beloved Iruka sensei it is time to not keep my eternal rival though equally beloved waiting or he may eat all of it without us."

Clicking his heels, Gai turned and walked towards the door. Turning slightly he wanted to make sure Iruka was coming.

"Iruka," the brunet tsked again, though a smile spread across his sexy full lips. "But if you think you're beating me to the ramen..." he murmured, disappearing from the room in a swirl of leaves and reappearing at the table where a bowl of one of his favorite foods was waiting for him. He snickered into his meal and grabbed his boyfriend's hand for a quick squeeze as he picked up his chopsticks to dig in.

Grumbling all the way down the stairs, Gai appeared in the dining room smiling brightly.  
>"Itakimasu!" Gai yelled playfully, reminiscent of one of his friends before he began to eat, "Wonderfully done my fair rival."<p>

Smiling behind his mask, Kakashi watched the two other men for a minute before taking a bite of his own meal. "So what were you two fighting about?" he asked smoothly, smirking lightly to himself. "I thought we were all good after last night."

Sighing in exasperation, Iruka rolled his eyes. "It's never that simple, Kashi," he admonished with a shake of his head.

"It can be," Kakashi retorted. "Nothing is as complicated as most people think it is. Can we do something fun tonight? Play a game or watch a movie or something?"

Chuckling Iruka nodded and looked to Gai. "Is there something you'd enjoy particularly?"

"_From your mouth to whatever higher authorities ears on that comment about things being less complicated._" Gai thought drinking some water and contemplating what he actually enjoyed doing that he would classify as fun.

"I am good with whatever group activity you two come up with." Gai shrugged happily popping a piece of chicken in his mouth and moaning lightly when it almost melted in his mouth.

"I mean there is also some type of movie marathon on tonight as well." Gai commented thoughtfully. "Or we could play a drinking game."

Slapping a hand down on the table loudly, Kakashi nodded in approval. "That's it. I'll pick up the sake." When Iruka groaned playfully, Kakashi beamed behind his mask, slurping his noodles in his own inconspicuous way.

"That's the spirit rival." Gai cheerfully agreed. "Is Iruka sensei scared that he won't be able to handle his liquor well enough to play the game?"

"We can play Queens or Cups or smack bottle caps into a shot glass." Gai listed all the drinking games he knew. "We could always play Drink or Dare."

"Come on Iruka, Kakashi what is your favorite drinking game?"

"Beer pong," Iruka answered right away with a firm nod, having found himself very successful at that game in the past.

Kakashi just scratched his head as he thought about it, trying to sort through the long list of drinking games in his head.

Iruka however was grinning ear to ear. "Come on. You have a clear favorite..." When Kakashi just shrugged, Iruka laughed. "Roxanne. You love that game! Have you ever played it, Gai?" Iruka asked, remembering both fun night and hard mornings in regards to the game. "You play the song Roxanne and usually it's two teams. One drinks on Roxanne, the other drinks every time red is sang. I think you can use the for three teams though. You never really realize just how repetitive the song is until you've played it a few times."

In his head, Iruka could already see where tonight was likely headed but he didn't mind. If they all loosened up a little it could be a lot of fun.

"Roxanne?" Gai tilted his head and thought about it. "Okay I have never heard the song but I am sure I will do my best to win this contest of the iron stomach." Nodding Gai resolved that he was going to hope for the best because while he wasn't a lightweight he was known to be a bit of a flirty drunk.

"It's fun," Iruka nodded, slurping up a long string of noodles. "Fun but dangerous. One shouldn't play much more than one round of it. Mmmm, this is yummy, Kashi," he praised as he lifted another chopsticks full of noodles to his mouth, humming happily as he slurped them up.

For Gai the rest of the day seemed to fly by. Kakashi had left and returned with what Gai was sure constituted half of the liquor store. This had made Gai a bit nervous but he had steeled himself for what was too come. After dinner found Gai nervously running around the property until he went in after Iruka called him.

It was just his luck Gai would get Red as his word to drink on because he had never played before. Gai was giggling like a mad man by the time the song was halfway over. He had changed into green board shorts and a tank top which he lost before the song even began.  
>Slapping his cup down, Iruka sang the high pitched lyrics as he quickly refilled, cursing himself for not getting more than one drink ready to go before they started.<p>

"Put on the red light! Roxa-Put on the reeeed light! Oh!" He quickly took a couple more sips to catch up, holding his head when the song slowly faded out.

"Now we get to see how bad we did," he murmured, gesturing to Kakashi who had been keeping tally of who missed.

"Ru, you missed three, Gai you missed two. Drink double or face worse punishment." Groaning loudly, Iruka drank from his cup for six long seconds, looking at his lover to make sure the man was satisfied.

"Only one round of that Kakashi. It's deadly," he murmured, giving his head a little shake. "You're just trying to get me too drunk so I can't play beer pong," he accused, to which Kakashi shrugged.

"Okay, Gai. Four seconds...go!" Kakashi ordered.

Whimpering Gai stared at his cup before downing the last of his for four seconds. Gai vowed that this would be the first and last time he drank to a song such as Roxanne. Burping lightly Gai excused himself before putting his head on the table.

"I say we save Beer pong for last if only because we are ninja and the only thrill we would get out of it is if we bounced the ball off of objects." Hiccuping lightly, Gai stood having swayed a bit. "I say let's play Kings Cup."

Nodding Gai performed a jutsu that smoked horribly for a moment before he had a deck of cards in hand.

"I'm lucky with this," Iruka warned eager to see how long he could go before he had to drink.

With the cards shuffled, Kakashi started, flipping over the girl's drink card, to which he looked around the table for direction.

"Don't say it, Kashi," Iruka growled when his lover's eye flicked toward him. "I will kick your ass, I swear to Kami!"

Gai roared with laughter. Getting up he did a little jig before settling down again. Iruka grumpily drank and Gai smiled at Kakashi before taking a card for himself. Picking up the date card he glanced between Kakashi and Iruka before taking out a coin.

"Heads it's Kakashi and tails Iruka." Flicking the coin he watched smack the table and roll until it stopped on heads. "Well this will get interesting."

"Aha!" Iruka declared, grinning broadly. "Now I know things are looking up in my favor," he declared, rubbing his hands together before flipping his own card. "Aha!" he cheered when he flipped the you drink card, meaning both men would have to drink again.

"Ru thinks he has some untold skill at these games," Kakashi informed Gai, loving how determined Iruka appeared in his conviction.

"We shall see." Gai quickly learned as the game progressed that Iruka was lucky in terms of getting the cards that were unlucky for Gai. When Kakashi got the first never have I ever card, Gai had practically peed his pants laughing as Iruka had been down to one finger before Kakashi started smacking on Gai's area of expertise and Gai found himself downing another cup of alcohol and grumbling about cheats. Then he had started chuckling when he remembered that Kakashi had to drink with him still and was likely as tipsy as Gai was.

"Thank you Card deities." Showing the make a rule card, Gai thought about what he should have them do for the rest of the game. "You are not allowed to say any words that begin with 'G'." Satisfied that this would give them trouble, Gai looked at Iruka. "Alright Iruka bring it on." Waiting patiently for Iruka to gather himself and grab a card. When Iruka pulled a never have I ever, Gai resigned himself to drinking again.

"Never have I ever..." Iruka started, looking incredibly evil as his eyes flicked from one man to the other. "Failed to get it up at a crucial moment," Iruka lips pulled up at the corners, knowing there was once or twice when Kakashi had been too drunk to perform. It didn't happen often but it had happened.

"Wow how unyouthful." Gai tutted before realizing that Kakashi was down to three fingers and giving him a look. Coughing and blushing lightly, Gai looked at Iruka even though he mumbled in a low tone to Kakashi, "I am sure there were extenuating circumstances; an injury of some sort or something."

Snickering, Iruka nodded his head. "Something to that effect; Kakashi was very very inebriated. He was pretty much passed out already but I wanted to keep partying. You did make a concerted effort…" he offered, though Kakashi just glared at him harder.

Chuckling, Iruka took a small sip of his drink and sat back as he thought. "I've never...written anything that has been published," he murmured, not quite meeting Gai's gaze.

Kakashi was holding at three fingers but was now watching Gai carefully.

Gai dropped the finger. Then giving Iruka a look, Gai leaned over and batted his eyelashes. "Now Iru-ka, you wouldn't be coming after me would you?" Pouting widely, Gai then let his lip quiver until no one could deny it's appeal. Not really caring how it was perceived, Gai who was completely drunk, slumped his shoulders. The look he moved towards of dejected doll. His three fingers still resolutely raised.

"What did you have published?" Kakashi asked while Iruka wasn't sure if he felt guilty for saying it or glad that he was forcing Gai into discussing it.

Tenting his fingers, Kakashi sat back, clearly not going to continue until Gai spilled.

Heaving a put upon sigh, Gai waved his hand lightly in a dismissive gesture. "It is just some books really; my own version of self help if you will." Luckily Gai had enough of his facilities still intact not to readily step into the trap of romance novels being his self help therapy.

"More than one?" Kakashi asked, cocking his head to the side. "Tell me about them. What was your last one about," he asked completely forgetting about the game they were in the middle of. "How long has that been going on?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Ahhh for a while I guess. I'm not exactly prolific." Once again attempting to wave a hand to get them back on the subject of the game; Iruka's snorting laugh couldn't have occurred at a worse time.

"Okay maybe I publish two or three times a year." Once again Gai tried to do a hand gesture but Iruka gave him an expectant look and Kakashi was no better. "I have been writing just daydreams mostly of the more romantic and heartfelt nature."

"You're...a romance author?" Kakashi asked, his amusement growing along with his interest. "What kind of romance? The steamy kind?" he asked, leaning across the table towards Gai for more information. "You know how I feel about steamy books," he added with a wide grin behind his mask.

"I don't write porn." Gai sighed and as Iruka gave him a pointed look.

"Never have I ever written porn." Iruka spoke calmly giving Gai a look.

"The one book shouldn't count. I like to think of it more as erotica." Realizing that no one was buying it, Gai put down another finger and pouted. Then he recalled Kakashi's incredulity over his being a romance author. "I will have you know I can romance your ass off." Gai declared shaking a finger at Kakashi.

Smirking at how much Gai was trying not to sink to Kakashi's level, Iruka decided to try to push him a little further.

"Why don't you run and get the one you're working on?" Iruka suggested, sipping his drink innocently. "I bet we could have fun reading it together." Iruka knew that Kakashi would recognize the characters from the other book immediately but he also thought they'd drank enough that it could get things rolling.

"Oh no that's okay I am sure that Kakashi wouldn't be interested." Gai was seriously hoping he could bluff his way out of this. "Besides I already sent it off so there isn't one that is a work in progress currently here." He could almost sigh in relief when he felt the tale tell mini chakra burst that heralded the return of his initial draft from the editor. Luckily Gai had already finished speaking so he hadn't technically been lying about it.

"Oh I'm very interested," Kakashi purred, resting back against his elbows and crossing his legs. "Come on. Iruka and I read to one another all the time. Or are you chicken?" he taunted, trying to play to Gai's competitive side.

"Yeah, Gai, why don't you jump on the opportunity to have an enthusiast give your work a read?" he asked, hoping to get through to the man that this would be a good thing for him. "We won't judge you, no matter what," he promised, giving his friend an encouraging nod.

Looking slowly between the two men, for a moment Gai paused. "I suppose I still have some notes lying around." Standing slowly, Gai shuffled off to collect his work, his neck pinking in embarrassment.

Thinking hard, Gai managed to find one of the more innocent drafts of some of the works. It was particularly naughty per say but it did have a bit of a kink factor to it.

Shuffling back into the room with the sheets of paper that contained this particular scene. His voice a little husky, Gai took a fortifying drink before he began reading. Hopefully Kakashi was too drunk to recognize the names.

Clapping his hands as Gai returned, Iruka shuffled closer to Kakashi before holding out his hand for the script. Patting the spot on the floor cushions on the other side of him, Iruka waited impatiently for Gai to lay down with them before he started to read.

"Jiro's breath spilled over his lips as he pressed himself to Kazou's front, only the sexy, tan body between him and Akira. It was only through Kazou's shuddering gasps and soft moans that Jiro could almost imagine feeling his long time crushes hands on him, closer than he ever thought to be.

Jiro groaned softly as he licked at Kazou's full lips, eager to get more of this surreal situation. He pulled back and watched Akira possessively plunder his lover's mouth before his rival leveled him with a gaze he couldn't describe. Before he knew what to do or say, thin, firm lips were against his, pulling tentatively and commandingly against his shocked mouth."

Letting out a breath, Iruka looked up over the script at Gai while rocking his hips back into Kakashi's hardening cock. "Whew. This is very good Gai," Iruka praised, his cheeks showing his telltale flush of arousal.

"I was inspired." Gai blushed coughing lightly. "The artistic temperament requires three things." Falling into his old standby way of talking when he was uncomfortable, Gai listed. "The spring time of youth, the brightness of the sun and the darkness of the moon; even though now that I think of it that may have sounded better when I wrote it in the context of a book." Shrugging Gai smiled at Iruka.

"I am glad you enjoyed it Iruka. Kakashi what did you think since you are the resident erotica connoisseur?"

"I think," Kakashi started, draping an arm around Iruka, his thumb teasing his lover's abs and waist as he looked from the manuscript to the raven haired author. "It sounds familiar," he murmured, not having forgot about the book he'd read the night before. "You're quite famous with this stuff, aren't you?" Kakashi asked, not really needing an answer. "So what exactly was your inspiration," Kakashi asked, looking at the man from over his mask in a way that only Kakashi could make devastatingly sexy.

"_If he ever patented that look he wouldn't need to be a ninja_." Gai thought before he sighed. "I do alright with my writing. I just write what inspiration is around me at the time." Sitting up, Gai gulped some of his drink down before watching the way Iruka squirmed back against what Gai could tell was Kakashi's hard cock. Feeling a little hot under the collar Gai fanned himself. "I think I drank more than I should, I am a little hot." Laughing nervously he looked at Iruka's face and felt his whole body twitch with interest.

A pink tongue flicked over dark, cinnamon lips and Iruka's heavily lashed lids rested low over his coffee eyes. "Well I'll say," he murmured, chuckling softly when Kakashi rolled his hips and cupped him through his pants, clearly just the right amount of drunk that he was very very frisky. He thought about asking about Gai's inspiration again but the way that Kakashi was rolling against him let him know that now was the right time to initiate.

"Come here," he murmured, reaching out an arm so that it just touched Gai's hip as he waited for the man to get closer. "Almost...feels familiar..." Iruka groaned as Kakashi rubbed him through his pants. His breathing quick, Iruka pulled Gai against him, rolling his hips so the back of Kakashi's hand pressed against Gai's hard cock. He was a little stunned when the hand turned between him, cupping and rubbing Gai as Kakashi started to bite at his ear and suck the back of his neck. When Kakashi was this excited there was little that would stop him from getting exactly what he wanted.

Feeling weary but definitely interested, Gai let his mouth wander over Iruka's lips. Nibbling just so on Iruka's lips, Gai applied himself to running his hands over Iruka and Kakashi's bodies, groping here and there. Hissing lightly when he was squeezed through his pants.

Kakashi wasn't stupid; he'd known what Iruka had been angling for since before they'd started drinking though he wasn't quite sure what was going on beyond that. Iruka had never shown any interest in Gai before and he doubted it was all to do with the therapy. There was something else going on and he was just going to roll with things until it became clear.

Slipping his other hand onto Iruka's groin, Kakashi watched fascinated as his lover threw his head back and moaned in pleasure. Inching his head forward, Kakashi guided Iruka's mouth to his, plundering it thoroughly before turning his attention to Gai. He'd never thought he'd be in this position but he stretched his neck forward and tentatively took Gai's mouth.

No matter what else happened in Gai's life he knew this would be on the highlight reel of best experiences ever. Feeling Kakashi's hesitation when he kissed him, Gai was careful not to push outright but to slowly build. Gai was careful to keep chakra-ed fingers tip flicking lightly over Iruka's nipples while he began a carefully crafted tour of Kakashi's mouth. Gentle swipes of his tongue gave him a road map of Kakashi's mouth as delicately ran his tongue over the roof of Kakashi's mouth, almost razor sharp teeth. Letting their tongues duel for a moment, Gai opened his eyes during the kiss before slowly pulling away.

Licking his lips Gai looked at Iruka and gave him a calm smile that held some mischief. Sharing a brief look with Kakashi, Gai leaned in and traced Kakashi's bared lips with his tongue before withdrawing to focus on Iruka thrumming body.

Iruka for his part was caught between voyeuristic pleasure at seeing the two men kiss and full blown lust. He had never thought that watching two men kiss while being sandwiched between them would be an aphrodisiac but Iruka was happy to be wrong. His mind tried to remind him of tomorrow but Iruka just pushed the thought away. The now was too fantastic to ignore, especially when Gai had managed to get Iruka out of his shirt without his notice. Iruka did notice when a chakra enhanced tongue flicked one of his nipples playfully.

"Oh god!" Iruka gasped, rolling his hips frantically into Kakashi's hand, not surprised at all when his lover started undoing his pants. Kakashi loved to get him naked, even if the silver haired man was fully clothed. It was a bit of a power trip but one that Iruka was glad to submit to every time.

"Are you being a little slut tonight?" Kakashi murmured softly in Iruka's ear, smirking when his lover panted and groaned like an animal. Regardless of what was going on, this was going to be ridiculously sexy, like Iruka, and apparently Gai, when they were drunk.

Still confused by their first kiss, Kakashi lifted Gai's chin again, plundering the man's mouth forcefully as he tried to demand answers for what he was feeling with his tongue as his hand slid into Iruka's undone pants and started slipping them off his hips.

Not being able to help himself Gai allowed Kakashi his dominance for the time being. Sucking on Kakashi's tongue, Gai let his hand drift down to Iruka's balls. While Kakashi was stroking Iruka's shaft, Gai tapped his finger tips lightly across Iruka's perineum before massaging the ovules lightly. Thanking all the saints above that he had good body control, Gai shifted away from Kakashi enough to sink his teeth into Kakashi's bottom lip with a slightly aggressive growl. Then with a swipe of his tongue to the offended bottom lip, Gai whimpered. Iruka had taken Gai's erection quite firmly in hand through his pants.

Already over stimulated, Iruka whimpered as someone's lubed finger slid deep into his body and he squirmed on the digit as Gai's chakra laced fingertips brushed along his balls. He felt like he was already about to burst when a band of chakra slipped around his cock, acting like a cock ring so the fun wouldn't be over too soon.

"You know I love it when you're a dirty little slut for me," Kakashi growled softly, yanking back on Iruka's hair and catching Gai's eyes before the man could object. "Look at him, he loves it," he assured Gai, the way Iruka was moaning and trembling with his stolen orgasm seemed to be proof of that in spades.

"Do you want more?" Kakashi asked, a sexy dominate look landing in his eyes as he slid another slicked finger into Iruka's tight body. "Do you want Gai to shove his cock down your slutty throat?"

Blinking slowly, Gai was pretty sure that absolute body control or not he was going to come soon. No matter how hard he tried to the contrary. Listening to Kakashi talk dirty made Gai shudder.

"Please." Iruka's whimper almost unmanned Gai as he shifted up into position for Iruka to follow orders. Shifting his shorts down enough for Iruka to get at his aching cock, Gai watched Iruka.

"No hands." Gai tsked when Iruka tried to grab him. Using his pelvic muscles Gai made his cock dance so Iruka had a hard time grabbing it with his mouth. Making it into a little game, Gai would flex every so often his cock lightly batting Iruka's face. Occasionally, Iruka would triumphantly capture his cock and Gai wouldn't be able to do anything but groan. Through heavy lidded eyes Gai watched Kakashi prepare Iruka for the taking.

As Kakashi pushed him up onto his hands and knees, Iruka groaned at the sheer dirty eroticism of the moment as Gai's cock slapped against his lips and cheeks teasingly. As he caught Gai in his mouth again, he rolled his body back onto Kakashi's pounding fingers, shivering as they rubbed against his prostate.

"That's a good boy," Kakashi praised, his own cock dripping with anticipation as he removed his fingers from the hot body and slathered himself with lube from the tube he'd had in his pocket.

He let out a long hiss as he slowly sank into the clenching heat, astonished how sharing Iruka with someone made it all the more exciting for him. "Fuuuuck, that's good," he groaned, bucking his hips hard and driving Iruka down on his and Gai's cocks at the same time.

"MMmmhhh," Gai agreed wholeheartedly as Iruka seemed intent not to let his cock go again anytime soon. The sting of teeth caused Gai to yelp and pull Iruka's hair sharply. As Iruka moaned happily around his cock, Gai tugged Iruka's hair again as he slid chakraed finger tips to molest Iruka's nipples before thrumming over the different erogenous zones he knew in the torso.

Groaning in excitement, Iruka squeezed his ass and throat around both cocks at the same time, delighting and repeating the action when both men moaned in unison.

Pulling on Gai's hips with an arm, Iruka tried to bend him towards Kakashi, encouraging the two to keep kissing, knowing Gai would want as much contact with Kakashi tonight as he could get. If he could facilitate things developing between them a little he would.

Panting as his hips slapped firmly against Iruka's ass, Kakashi sank a hand into Gai's black hair and rested the other over his friend's hand in Iruka's hair, encouraging his lover to suck harder. "Mmm, yeah that's it. Fuck his face," Kakashi groused, pulling Gai's face towards him and aggressively kissed the man again, trying to decipher why he enjoyed it so much. Even with him he'd thought he'd want to kill any man who touched Iruka but he found with Gai he liked it...a lot. "Fuck," he groaned into Gai's mouth, his cock threatening to explode already as he sucked at Gai's tongue.

The kiss was wild, hot and out of control and Gai loved it. While he was kissing Kakashi, Gai reached around and tugged on Iruka's erection. Feeling himself starting to fall apart, Gai retracted the cock ring. Shifting back, Gai watched the two of them fuck and felt his toes curl abruptly. A tremor went through his system and Gai knew that it wouldn't be long before he came.

With the cock ring gone there was nothing to hold Iruka back and he came hard over Gai's hand, making Kakashi hiss in delight as the muscles of his chuunin's ass gripped and pulled at him. He slammed even harder into Iruka, pushing the man onto Gai's cock, causing them all to explode nearly at once as Iruka's wanton body rocked backwards and forwards on their cocks for more.

As Iruka collapsed to the floor, his body having gotten a much harder working out than anyone else's, he hummed in delight as Kakashi started sucking soft marks along his hairline on the back of his neck and murmuring soft phrases of love and admiration to him. Iruka just patted the ground right next to him, motioning the two men to curl up right beside his naked body.  
>Too sexually sated to try to protest, Gai laid flat on his back. Shifting his shorts back into there proper position. Staring at the ceiling Gai calmed down and thought for a bit about life. It was funny, he had never dreamed that some thing like this would ever happen. It was like someone had walked the plot line straight out of an erotica book.<p>

For a second Gai had a really hard time rationalizing the whole thing. Deciding for the time being that logic could go fly a kite for all he cared, Gai hopped up. To his credit he only wavered slightly before bounding away and returning with a wet cloth that he passed to Iruka.

Sprawling again, Gai tapped on his stomach and thought. He didn't want to be the first one to break the silence. When he finally got the courage to glance over at the two he found himself being quietly studied.

"What?" Gai's voice came out slightly huskier than it normally sounded but still recognizable.

Kakashi was running his hand through a very worn out looking Iruka's hair, both men's eyes trained on him, though long lashes were batting over Iruka's kind, coffee orbs.

"So the book..." Kakashi started, rubbing his hand over Iruka's back. "You're Jiro, Iruka is Kazou and I'm Akira. So... is this based on fact at all?" he asked, treading lightly around the fact that Jiro had been in love with Akira, mostly because he wasn't sure what to feel about that.

Rolling himself up with a soft groan, Iruka pressed his lips to Kakashi's and then briefly to Gai's forehead. "I think I'll leave you two to talk. Don't run away like a little girl," Iruka murmured to Gai with a smirk as he ran his fingers through Gai's hair. "Both of you come to bed when you're done," he ordered, leaving Gai and Kakashi alone on the floor together.

"It is called strategic retreat." Gai pouted at Iruka. When Iruka just waved at him and continued to walk away. Realizing he was going to have to own it and hope Kakashi didn't step on his feelings too badly.

Realizing his feelings of nervousness weren't going to go away until he let it all out, Gai decided to make his confession to the ceiling. It made his life a hell of a lot easier. If only because he wouldn't have to watch himself being rejected.

"Jiro is me and Akira is you and Kazou is Iruka." Gai confirmed. "I should probably say based on the three of us anyway. Thinking back I started writing just so I could express myself in a different way. People liked it so I kept writing. From the beginning I think reflections of people I knew made into my writings. Does it bother you?"

For the time being Gai had no interest in going any further than that explanation wise until he had gotten a little more insight into what Kakashi was thinking. While therapy had helped him come to terms with some of his insecurities he still wasn't ready to lay it all on the line.

Shifting a little uncomfortably, Kakashi tried to decide exactly how to respond and wishing that Iruka had stayed. "No, I thought the characters were good. Akira was very relatable to me. Guess I know why now..." he added with a weary grin.

Shifting again, Kakashi shrugged his shoulders, feeling very much like a teenager trying to have an awkward conversation. "So...is that how you feel..." he asked, looking up from his hands for a moment, "about me?" He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer yet but there was no getting around the question at this point. He just didn't know where that was going to leave them.

Never in his life had Gai twiddled his thumbs but they were getting a workout now. Knowing that he was going to have to lay it on the line no matter how he looked at it, Gai put on the cheerful mask. Hopping to his feet, Gai struck a modified romantic hero pose complete with the prerequisite rising sun genjutsu before allowing it to slowly descend into a starry night with rose petals fluttering in the wind while his hair gently waved.

"Kakashi I have been in love with you for a long time. Your happiness has been more important than my own for a while. I am happy now that I can see you settle and know that you are loved as completely as you love in return." Breaking the genjutsu, Gai nodded his affirmed resolve that he hadn't realized he even had until that moment. It seemed appropriate.

Hoping the answer would be enough, Gai began to organize the different alcohol bottles, while he waited for Kakashi's response. If nothing else he figured the formatting of his response would make Kakashi a little more comfortable. Gai making poses and preforming mood genjutsus should be a familiar thing for Kakashi by now.

Scratching the back of his head, Kakashi sighed. It wasn't that often that he completely missed something so important as one of his best friends being in love with him but somehow he'd completely missed it.

"I didn't know. Maybe if you'd said something..." he started, trailing off when he once again found himself stuck. What would he have done if Gai had told him. It was easy enough to dismiss now, he was with Iruka, Iruka whom he loved and adored and made him complete. So why was he wondering what could have been? He'd never even thought of Gai in a sexual way before tonight.

"Did that...have anything to do with how you were feeling...in the missions' room?"

"It wouldn't have changed anything. You and I both know that. I was your favorite punching bag and constant, nothing more. I imagine it took you years to see me as those things." Shaking his head Gai continued, "At the point where it may have been possible for you to see me as something more you were starting to date Iruka and anyone with eyes could see that you two were meant to be." Gai smiled at the mental image of Kakashi and Iruka arguing from any period in the past. They always looked seconds from ripping each others clothes off or tearing each other apart.

Thinking about the mission room made Gai frown deeply; it was a point that he didn't want to revisit. The memory of what had been going through his head disgusted him and made him weary to explore that small part of himself that occasionally demanded satiation.

_"Punching bag?"_ Kakashi asked internally, thinking back to how things had been with him and Gai in the past. It was true that there was a time where he hadn't given a fuck about anything and probably took a lot out on Gai. In fact the more he thought about it there were times that he'd been actually mean to the man, but it seemed like so long ago.

"Gai...I'm sorry...if I was ever rough on you. It was...when I was still black ops I had an attitude. It's not an excuse, but you should probably forget anything I said to you during that time that was offensive. That's never been how I felt," he murmured, wondering if that was enough heart to heart for now, not wanting to get much deeper than they were at this point.

"Should we go to bed?" Kakashi suggested, nodding towards his bedroom where Iruka had disappeared into.

"Sleep well." Gai motioned for Kakashi to go ahead. Mentally Gai was not buying or believing his blacks ops excuse for one minute. Half of the terrible stuff Kakashi said had been after that particular era. During Kakashi's black ops time, Gai had been the punching bag more than anything else. It definitely had helped Gai toughen up for his own stint in ANBU. While Kakashi had retired, Gai still ran the occasional operation. It was how he found himself in this mess in the first place he supposed.

Tidying up, Gai let his thoughts flow where they would. Then standing he stretched lightly. Grabbing a bottle of sake he went to drink in his room and contemplate how things could have gone worse. The thought gave Gai some relief at least.

Grumbling and rubbing his heel of his hand, Iruka padded through the house towards Gai's room, his gait just a bit uneven as he limped down the wood walkway.

"Gai," Iruka grumbled, sticking his head into the man's room. "I told you to come to bed. Not tired yet?" he asked, yawning as he stretched and rested his naked body against the door frame. "What happened? Do you want to talk about it for a sec?"

"I'm in bed." Gai gulped, slightly thrown off by Iruka naked in his doorway. "There really isn't anything to talk about. I think it all pretty much out there at this point." Sighing Gai rubbed his forehead as he thought about it some more before coming to a conclusion. "I don't know if I should feel relieved it's no longer a big secret or worried because now there is nothing I can do but see how things work out ya' know?"

"In the end there's nothing you can really do to influence the outcome. It might be good for you to give up control for a bit. Now are you coming to bed?" Iruka asked, giving Gai a look that clearly didn't leave the matter up for debate. "Come on. I want a body on both sides of me tonight," he murmured, signalling for Gai to get up and follow him.

"Control is an illusion." Gai mumbled getting out of bed and following Iruka into his and Kakashi's room. He had changed into a pair of briefs when he got into the bed. Now he wished he had chosen something more substantial to sleep in.

Climbing into the bed, Gai lay on his back with his head turned outward. Letting his breathing slow down until he was just on the edge of sleepiness. Knowing that it wouldn't take long for him to fall asleep he listened to the sounds of the others breathing.

Climbing into the middle of the two men, Iruka sighed softly, the tension in the bed palpable. Clearly things hadn't gotten very settled between Gai and Kakashi. Sliding forward, he fit himself against Gai's back, brushing his fingers against the pale stomach while his other hand pulled Kakashi tight against his back, humming softly in contentment as he cuddled against both bodies.

"Get lots of sleep, both of you," he murmured lazily, enjoying the feeling of being so surrounded. 


	9. Chapter 9

Before Gai really had time to process Iruka's words he was asleep. Having conditioned himself to wake at 4 am no matter what the situation, Gai found his eyes open. Looking around Gai mentally berated himself, he had only had three hours of sleep but he was wide awake. Staring at the ceiling thoughtfully, he let his mind examine the events of the night before in detail. Feeling Iruka begin to stir, Gai lightly stroked his hair. A sleepy murmur was the only response he got before Iruka was snoring again. Smiling softly, Gai looked over at Kakashi.

Slightly surprised to find Kakashi sleeping without his mask, Gai took the time to commit Kakashi's face to memory. Studying the way the scar running vertically down Kakashi's eye made his face oddly more appealing among other little nuances of the Copy nin's appearance. In sleep Kakashi had the face of an Adonis. Luckily the scars and imperfections kept Kakashi from being too perfect. Kakashi's nose was slightly crooked. His lips were a hair too thin and his teeth were a tad too sharp. Feeling his lip twitch at the violent nip Kakashi had given him at one point during a kiss. The man's canines were razor sharp. Gai also took note of the slightest indention in Kakashi's chin.

Finishing his perusal of Kakashi's face, Gai went back to ceiling watching. Gai tried to make himself sleep again but couldn't quite seem to get there. So he let himself float.

Waking, Iruka cuddled against Kakashi's shoulder, sighing softly in contentment as fingers pulled through his hair. He'd always loved being physically close with someone and little was better than resting against Kakashi. Sighing contentedly, Iruka let his eyes flutter open noting that it wasn't Kakashi who was playing with his hair.

Not for the first time since he'd found out about Gai's feelings, Iruka wondered if it would be better in general if he stepped back, tried to let Gai and Kakashi sort out what was going on between them. It broke his heart to think about leaving Kakashi, about leaving their home but he'd always been a bit of a martyr. And it would be better for the village if Gai and Kakashi could be together and happy.

Rolling over, Iruka smiled at Gai, not letting his thoughts get him down.

"How are you this morning?" he breathed, not wanting to wake Kakashi up but worried about how Gai was handling all of this.

"Sleepy." Gai rumbled scratching his nose. Retrieving his hand from where it had been petting Iruka. "I hate having a very good mental alarm clock." Grumbling lightly, Gai nuzzled down till he was eye level with Iruka. "How are you this morning?"

Smiling, Iruka nodded, pushing away the slightly sick feeling in his stomach. "I might be a little sore but I think it was worth it," he joked, brushing a lock of hair off Gai's face. "I'd like to talk today, about what the two of you said last night," he murmured softly. "If we get through enough we might not have to have any more sessions, unless you'd like to keep working with me. I'm looking forward to getting back to teaching but you don't have to leave here any time soon. It's been nice to have you," he said with a grin that was tired in a way that couldn't be distinguished from being physically tired.

"I might even take a short mission; get out of town for a couple of days before I go back. I never get to take mission work anymore," he murmured to himself, thinking how it would be a good way to give Gai and Kakashi a chance to spend some time together. "We'll see if the Hokage lets me. You must have a lot going through your head right now though," he whispered, running a thumb over one of Gai's eyebrows. "Or is it still too early for that?"

"We didn't actually say much." Gai shrugged. "I owned up to the fact that I had been in love with him for years and he apologized." Shifting a bit Gai rolled up into a sitting position, stretching his arms above his head. "I enjoy talking to you and we don't have to have sessions for that. I am not sure I want to stay here because I feel like in some ways I throw off the balance you two have established here." Looking at his hands Gai thought for a bit.

"I think after I am cleared you would probably enjoy the freedom of a mission to think. If I may make a small request though would you mind training with me for a few weeks before you go. It may just be my protective instincts kicking in but you haven't been on a serious mission in a while and I just want to make sure you still have that edge. You have plenty of reasons to make it home I just …" Gai cut off feeling more than a little uncomfortable admitting this "Worry," Blushing lightly, Gai coughed and looking back at the ceiling.

"That isn't a bad idea." Kakashi yawned snuggling his nose into the back of Iruka's neck. He had been listening to the conversation as he dozed. "Sometimes one waiting at home isn't all that's required to get you home."

"You know, you're both lucky that I'm not easily offended. I might not be a jounin but that doesn't mean I'm some weakling. My reflexes are trained to catch trouble in a group of thirty children before it happens and I work out more than tai chi," he chided, trying not to get flustered. "I'm not just a teacher, I'm a teacher of ninja. Let's try not to forget it or I'll have to teach you both a lesson!" He reached back and slapped Kakashi's ass playfully, trying not to let his lover get too frisky with him when Gai was in the bed. He could still see that sad, longing in the back of the man's eyes when Kakashi touched him and it broke Iruka's heart.

"Besides, I don't take the same kind of missions you do, remember? But I can show you that I can take care of myself if that's going to make you both feel better," he murmured, ruffling Gai's hair affectionately.

"It wasn't an implication on your skill level or lack there of. It is more field awareness is different from village or even class awareness." Gai explained. "I respect your skills as a sensei." Pointing at himself he continued. "On some occasions if I am on medical leave I get to be a substitute. I know the difference and respect it. These are dangerous times and even D missions have been proving deadly."

"What he said." Kakashi yawned. "Why did I get smacked and he got a hair ruffle." Kakashi pouted.

"Because you are being a lech during a serious conversation?" Gai responded innocently. He continued on quickly when Kakashi looked ready to change his focus.

"It would be more like reassuring that you are just as deadly as you don't give the appearance of being."

Rolling his eyes, Iruka chuckled. "Okay, if that will make you two happy I will. But just so you know I do find it insulting."

When Iruka started to pout, Kakashi groaned and started nibbling on his lovers neck, smirking at Gai over the tan shoulder. "He's so sexy when he pouts, it's not fair," Kakashi murmured, running his hands along Iruka's hips. "He wasn't being condescending, just concerned," he murmured, chuckling when Iruka tried to smack his ass again.

"Gai and I were trying to have a conversation, Kashi! I swear you're horny all the time," Iruka chided, giving Gai an apologetic look.

"No no no continue don't mind me." Gai was more interested in watching the proceedings then he cared to mention. Then Gai processed the beginning of what Iruka had said.

"Why would you find it insulting? It happens to me all the time with certain members of my acquaintance." Gai was curious though he was interested in where Kakashi's hand was that had Iruka the color of a tomato. Looking back at Iruka, Gai smiled mischievously. "Though this would be a good test of your ability to concentrate on an objective under extenuating circumstances."

Iruka growled low in his chest, ready to kick both of their asses for treating him like a chuunin even when he was in bed. Kakashi however had him totally turned on and somewhat forgiving. "I find it...insulting that you don't think I...know my own skill level enough to... Ah! God 'Kashi... nnnngh," Iruka moaned, biting his cheek to keep from moaning more. "Look, I know it doesn't seem this way but I still lead some B or C missions a year. Would you let someone question your readiness to be in the field? Ever?" Iruka asked, trying to suppress and shiver and groan as Kakashi teased him.

"Now Iruka sensei you are appearing to already be affected." Gai leaned forward until he was just inches from Iruka's face. "I just said it happens to me regularly." Reaching over he flicked on of Iruka's nipples before shifting back. "Now then where to start?" Tapping his chin, Gai watched Kakashi putting the moves on Iruka. Before he figured he may as well let Iruka in on a little secret, "I wear green spandex daily, the council questions my readiness all the time. Still doesn't stop them from sending me on recovery missions though."

Iruka started to pout again but Kakashi just groaned and redoubled his attack on his lover. "But, that's different! You'd tear a strip off any ninja that tried to tell you that. Or he would at least." Iruka was glad to have at least gotten that out because he was having a very hard time concentrating now.

"Careful you don't make him mad," Kakashi warned, sliding his hand along Iruka's cock, knowing not only would he not be getting any if Iruka really got his hackles up but they'd probably both be nursing a serious bruise of some kind. It wasn't that Kakashi couldn't stop any punch that Iruka threw but he always figured that if the brunet was mad enough to throw one it was probably better just to take it.

Feeling the urge to roll his eyes at the obviousness of Kakashi's statement Gai, instead chose to look at the ceiling thoughtfully. "I think I have said it to Kakashi once or twice." Musing thoughtfully, Gai chuckled remembering exactly what had happened when he had.

Deciding that he wanted a closer look at the undercover workings of what was going on Gai went under the covers to watch Kakashi as he lazily palmed Iruka's erection. Feeling a bit dirty for having followed through on his inclination Gai did what he thought was a nice thing.

"Now while you to have your morning constitutional I will prepare breakfast." Smiling widely, Gai started to rise.

Iruka groaned and tried to tackle Gai back to the bed, demanding that he save him while Kakashi piled on top of both of them, chuckling and yawning at the same time.

"I know you're used to being up this early, Gai," he grumbled, nibbling on Iruka's shoulder, "but don't you think you could just relax, just a little, for a couple more hours?"

They all started to laugh when an abrupt tapping at the window drew all of their attentions. Scrambling from the bed, Iruka dashed to the window to let the big hawk in with a frown.

Gai knew that hawk. It was a rather intelligent summons that he knew was only sent under certain circumstances. Gettng up Gai opened the bedroom door and the Hawk followed him. Reaching his bedroom, Gai closed the door and sat on the bed.

"What may I help you with?" Gai inquired politely.

"You are being sent on a mission to bring something to Konoha as quickly as possible. I hope you are ready for service." The hawk's immediate response coupled with an assessing look, made Gai get a queer feeling in his stomach.

Nodding Gai let the hawk finish giving him the details and then he let her out. He had to leave within the hour. Walking into Kakashi and Iruka's bedroom, Gai smiled sadly.

"It looks as though my time for lazing around is at an end for the time being. Kakashi make sure Iruka is ready before he marches out into the world of missions again." Smiling at Iruka to show he meant no offense, Gai tried to decide if he should give some other form of farewell but he wasn't sure.

Brows furrowed, Iruka, who had put on some pants, moved forward and gave Gai a warm hug. "Be careful, okay? You and I still have work to do, okay?" Iruka reminded the raven in the sternest voice he could muster when he was so worried. It was clearly a very important mission if Tsunade had rescinded Gai's sabbatical.

"He'll be alright, babe," Kakashi supplied, though he clapped Gai on the shoulder and gave him a supportive nod. "We'll see you when you get back. Send word if you can, especially if you're going to be long." It was the first time Kakashi could remember asking someone, other than Iruka, to send word back on a mission, but he didn't mention that to Gai.

Nodding, Gai gave one big smile before going to prepare himself.

Author's note: I am editing the next chapter so two reviews and I will post it. Sorry I haven't posted in months but I forgot about this story. This is why the occasional review out of the blue gets an update because I can get really busy.


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Relations between Senseis  
>Pairing: (KakaIru, GaiIru, KakaGai with eventual GaiKakaIru )<br>Rating: M for Sex, Violence and Mature themes  
>Warnings: Attempted Suicide, Violence, Polyamorous Relationship<br>Summary: There is a lot more to Maito Gai then meets the eye and unfortunately it takes some bad things happening before Kakashi and Iruka realize it. (Summary not so great but story is better)  
>Author's Note: Chapter 11 is done and waiting. So depending on the response to this chapter I could have it up pretty quickly. I got the reviews so I knew this chapter would be appreciated...more than likely. Review and let me know what you think.<p>

Gai would give anything to have been able to refuse this mission in hindsight. He had a dead Konoha ninja, Raidou's lover Genma was unconscious. Naruto was holding Sasuke's body with tears streaming down his face.

It had taken more of Gai's resolve than he knew he had to fight off the attackers who had finally retreated. Whoever they were he would give them credit for strength. Though currently if he couldn't save Genma's life, he would be out for their blood and only a God could save them. Gai could feel his chakra racing for his enemy's blood but to allow himself to give in would have been wrong.

Gai kneeled next to Genma, checking his pulse and trying to get some type of response, anything to give him an idea of what he was looking at. Then he noticed the markings on Genma's hand. He had seen them before in his nightmares, they were marks of a poison that ate away chakra before killing someone. It took three days for the poison to kill and Gai was four days away from Konoha by normal traveling.

"Naruto, snap out of it." Gai barked. Going over to Naruto and shaking him. Seeing no obvious signs of damage, Gai tried to figure out how best to get Naruto moving.

"He's dead. I killed him." Naruto's voice was a whisper breaking Gai's thought process. Naruto's chakra was flaring dangerous.

"Naruto he was going to kill you and your teammates." Gai soothed though his voice held a hard edge.

"I had to kill him but I …" Naruto stared at the ground.

"Naruto, Sasuke is dead. One of your teammates is dead and another is dying." Gai put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and what he saw in his eyes, Gai knew he had on more than one occasion seen staring back at him in the mirror. "You loved him." It was more a statement than a fact.

Nodding Naruto answered the question that he felt was sure to come, "I loved him enough not to want to see him suffer anymore. I wanted him back. Now I can't have that." Letting Sasuke's body slowly go, Naruto stood and wobbled. Gai quickly steadied him.

"We have to go." Gai sighed knowing that Naruto was going to be slightly useless but not really able to blame him. "We can burn the body or bring him home but either way we have to leave now."

"Burn him. He would have liked that." Naruto coughed lightly. Quickly Gai put Sasuke and the dead in a pile and lit an incendiary tag. Then hoisting Genma on his shoulders, he regarded Naruto.

"Genma will die if we don't make it back in less than three days." Gai laid out the facts for Naruto. "Someone else will lose a lover so we have to hurry."

Seeing Naruto's face take a determined look, Gai nodded. Together they hopped into the trees but soon Gai knew things were not going to go that smoothly. Leaping down from the trees, Gai regarded Naruto.

"How bad is it?"

Gai received his answer when Naruto heaved dark red blood.

"Shit."

Naruto would have thought Gai's reaction was funny if he weren't in so much pain. Listening to the fox swearing in his head was just as entertaining but Naruto stopped hearing when he was halfway to the ground. He never felt Gai catch him or his body be placed over Gai's shoulder. If Naruto had been awake he would have laughed harder than anyone as Gai removed his weights, leaving craters in the ground and began a mad dash to Konoha.

The hospital was a mad rush of activity, med nins and nurses scurrying around one another as they frantically tried to drain the poison from Genma and reestablish some kind of chakra system in him. The life of a civilian was what awaited him if they couldn't...if he was lucky.

Naruto's demon chakra was healing him but for some reason beyond what Tsunade and the med nins could not understand, they kept losing him.

Iruka watched for a minute as Naruto's heart stopped again before turning away, moving down the hall to rest a hand on Raidou's shoulder.

"He'll make it. You know he's too stubborn to die. You need to be strong because the next while could be very hard for him," Iruka murmured, thinking about Genma and how much he'd hate not being able to do missions any more. Genma was an adrenaline junkie, loving the thrill of the hard work and particularly suited to the assassination missions he usually was given.

Gai was sitting beside his friend, covered in blood and looking just a bit shell shocked. "Gai," Iruka murmured, running a hand through the black hair. "Do you want me to go find you something else to wear?" When he didn't get much of a response, Iruka tried again. "Gai...I need your help. Kakashi...he needs some company. Sasuke and Naruto are...were his students you know. Do you think you could just try to get him to...sit down for a bit?" He gestured over to where Kakashi was pacing in front of Naruto's operating room, dragging a hand through his silver hair every few seconds. "He needs someone in his space right now, even though I know it doesn't look like it."

Kakashi growled softly to himself, running his hand through his hair again as he tried to shake away the sick feeling that was making his skin crawl. No matter what anyone said this was his fault. He'd trained Sasuke, he'd made him into a killer and then he'd lost him to the snake. People could be as understanding as they wanted but he knew the truth. And if Genma died, it was his fault. And if Naruto, the only child of his beloved sensei died, it was his fault too. And now Sasuke was dead and as hard as he'd tried to keep the kids from ending up like his team or the sannins, history seemed like it was coming back on him full circle.

Slowly Gai picked his head up and looked at Iruka. Studying him for a moment, Gai looked back at his hands. Reaching over he grasped, Raidou's hand and squeezed. Rubbing his thumb across the back of Raidou's hand in a soothing gesture Gai gave Raidou his presence as a temporary grounding in reality before Gai stood. Walking over to Kakashi, Gai neatly caught the hand that Kakashi was using to run through his hair. Kissing the back of Kakashi's hand, Gai gave Kakashi a quiet smile before leaving the hospital.

Moving with a steady purpose, Gai went to his small apartment. Showering and changing quickly Gai went to see someone he knew would be able to help though the price would not be something to be taken lightly. He needed information of the poison effecting Genma and from what records anyone could dig up death appeared to be the only cure.

Seeing those marks had Gai's brain in overdrive running through the different bits of information he knew about the poison. Then something clicked.

"Death. Draining chakra." Gai practically tapped danced it could not be that easy. Then Gai smacked himself, draining chakra required more skill than anything else. Too little taken or too much taken would have the same result. Feeling slightly dejected that he couldn't do any more about it, Gai turned his mind to Naruto.

Dying of a broken heart. Gai was pretty sure that was why Naruto kept flatlining but at the same time how could you not blame him. Spending his entire life trying to catch up to a genius only to win but still lose.

Realizing that their lives were mirrors of each other Gai felt his knees wobble slightly. Not wearing his weights was giving Gai an odd sense of balance. Making him over compensate slightly for what wasn't there. Walking back into the hospital, Gai sat back next to Raidou ready to wait for whatever happened next.

Iruka felt exhausted and frustrated, wanting to deal with his own emotional chaos but shelving it to satisfy the needs of others. He finally managed to get Kakashi to sit but didn't try to engage him much in conversation. He'd tried to talk about Sasuke with his lover before but Kakashi always shut right down on him when it came to that topic.

Now Raidou was waiting to see if his lover would survive. Only time would tell if Genma would survive the life change that would hit him if lived or not. The lifestyle was all consuming, and being in a supportive role like he had been, Iruka had seen it all, and still felt helpless to aide in the situation.

Gai just looked lost, or sick, something Iruka couldn't quite put his finger on. He wanted to ask what the man was thinking but this wasn't the time or place. Besides, Gai was probably where he was needed most, silently sitting in support with his friends.

Sakura emerged from Genma's treatment room, looking pale and exhausted. Raidou leapt to his feet and Kakashi slowly stood too, all of them joining a circle to hear the news.

"He's...stable," she started, sounding less than sure of her prognosis. "If he makes it through tonight...there will be a lot of procedures in the next few months to try to get his chakra systems restored, assuming his body can handle it."

Kakashi listened mutely, wondering if it was better to become an invalid in the profession than to die in service. He and Genma were alike in that sense. They'd lived for the work, let it become their whole lives and now struggled with finding the balance and peace that having someone who loved them, someone to live for, offered them. Glancing at Gai, Kakashi realized that his friend still lived for the work and, while he had friends, didn't have that same sort of grounding anymore. Even though he and Iruka hadn't been together that long, he wondered how the man survived without it.

"Raidou, you can go in once they move him to his room. He'll be unconscious but try to talk to him. I think it will help. I'm going to go help Tsunade-sama with Naruto."

Swallowing hard, Iruka twisted a lock of his hair anxiously. "Why is he..." he started, only to have Sakura cut him off.

"I don't know, Iruka-sensei," she lied, having discussed Sasuke with the blond at length before. "He keeps healing and and relapsing. I...I need to go help."

As Sakura walked away, Kakashi could see just how upset his pink haired student was. She'd thought she was in love with Sasuke for a very very long time, the kind of feelings that never really went away completely. That made him think of Gai again, starting to feel lost about what to do with his friend, who had admitted to having feelings for him for a long time too.

Gai wasn't sure how much time had passed but he knew his adrenaline and chakra were leaving his system and lactic acid build up in his muscles was making him hurt, badly. He had made the four day trip in just over a day and a half. Gai stood and staggered a bit as it all caught up with him. Feeling a firm grip on his arm he looked at the Hokage and smiled faintly.

"I think I may have overreached my limits a bit." Gai explained.

"If you hadn't I would be down three shinobi instead of one." Tsunade murmurred before leading Gai over to another bench and pushing him down. Doing a quick scan of his structure she shook her head. "You need food, and sleep. Your chakra is almost gone and your muscles are spasming. Though how you are hiding it is beyond me." The Hokage sat down next to Gai looking at the wall.

"I put Naruto in a coma until we can figure out why he keeps healing and relapsing." Tsunade's voice held the question that Gai knew he didn't want to answer in present company.

"From what I saw Naruto did not get poisoned." Gai knew he was going to have to give a full report later so he left a part unsaid.

"Walk with me." Tsunade stood and Gai managed to hobble along beside her. Keeping his voice pitched low he explained the fight between Naruto and Sasuke. By the time he was done Tsunade was shaking her head.

"Is it possible to die of a broken heart?" Gai asked needing to know.

"If anyone could manage that it would be gaki." Tsunade spoke torn between exasperation and fondness for her adopted brat.

Nodding Gai waved at Tsunade and trudged to the exit.

"Gai I would like to know where you are going?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. When Gai looked at her she continued to give him a pointed look.

"I thought I would go to my apartment." Gai trailed off realizing that extenuating circumstances had gotten him back in the field but he was still on sabbatical. "I have to go to Kakashi's and Iruka's I take it." Shoulders a little slumped because he had a lot on his mind and no interest in sharing, Gai shuffled over to a bench by the entrance way and sat to think before Iruka and Kakashi found him.

Slipping into Naruto's room, Kakashi watched Iruka gently take Naruto's hand. He knew that as calm as Iruka might seem, his lover would never be the same if Naruto didn't make it. He thought of Naruto as his surrogate son, especially since children of his own weren't likely to be an option considering his sexual preference. He'd done so much for the boy over the years but thought nothing of the emotional support more than his duty as Naruto's teacher and first friend.

"You're not going to give up on us, now are you?" Iruka asked the blond softly, very gently rubbing the back of Naruto's hand. "You know we still need you here, right? You've done so much for all of us, saved us all more times than I can count but...you can't quit on us yet. We all still need you here."

It was just like Iruka not to talk about how much he still needed Naruto, or about his own needs at all and Kakashi rested his hands on Iruka shoulders, letting him know that they should probably let the blond rest.

"He knows, Ru. You mean just as much to him," Kakashi murmured, giving his lover a gentle smile before letting him up. When Iruka had left the room, Kakashi dug his hands in his pockets and toed the ground.

"I'd say I was sorry for not being there for you enough but in the end you were better off. You had Jiraya and he was the perfect teacher for you." He cleared his throat, his hands balling into fists when his self hatred spiked. "I am sorry that I didn't see what was happening with Sasuke. I should have known better. I should have seen it coming but I thought I could handle it. Just don't let go. Iruka's right, we do still need you here, and you're not finished yet. You still have a dream to achieve and you're closer than you think."

Having said enough, Kakashi sighed and left as well, not surprised that Iruka had vanished so he could pull himself back together. Wandering towards the entrance, Kakashi slumped down on the bench next to Gai, running his hands through his silver hair as he sighed. "You look tired," he said simply, not bothering to look up. "We should go home and let you rest up for a bit. Sakura promised she'd summon us right away if anything happened. Have you gone to see him yet?" Kakashi asked, still feeling dizzy with guilt.

"I saw him all the way back and at the moment I think it were best that I come see him when my body functions aren't likely to give out on me." Gai sighed. "I am so tired that I can't even attempt a youthful response. I also have to go weight shopping." Grumbling Gai looked at the ceiling.

"You don't look so fresh yourself." Gai commented after taking a side long glance at Kakashi. Picking up his hand, Gai outlined each finger. Then placing the hand down Gai stood wobbling slightly from exhaustion and just a bit hunched because his body was still protesting. "Where is Iruka?"

Grunting softly as he got up and wrapped an arm around Gai's waist to steady him, heading slowly towards the doors. "He'll probably be home by the time we get there. He needed a minute after seeing Naruto laid up like that. They were very very close when Naruto was younger." Kakashi decided not to mention how broken up Iruka would be if Naruto didn't make it. He didn't think Gai needed that added stress right now.

"How are you doing?" Kakashi asked, pulling Gai's arm over his shoulder. "This has been...a pretty brutal day." Somehow reassuring Gai was easier than trying get Iruka to talk to him if he wasn't ready or thinking about Naruto and Genma laid up in the hospital. "It makes you think...about a lot of things."

"Kakashi I haven't slept in three days. I made a four day trip back in a day and a half. My legs hurt, my back is sore, my head aches and my heart is broken. Knowing that time was of the essence when getting Genma back home to make sure he survived and also knowing the closer home we got the more Naruto died inside..." Gai trailed off His emotions began to peak again and Gai felt like crying.

Pushing Kakashi away, Gai tried to continue his stagger home. He knew it wouldn't be long before he collapsed at the rate he was going. His body was at its limit.

Managing to turn what could have been a sob into a hiccup, Gai felt himself slump against a building on the outside of town, not to far from Kakashi and Iruka's house. "You know for all the perks the ninja lifestyle has sometimes it isn't worth getting out of the bed in the mornings." Gai sniffed trying to gather the will necessary to stagger at least to the property line. There if he crashed landed in the gardens at least he could pretend it was normal.

Kakashi trailed behind Gai, letting the man go for the time being but when he approached the house he stepped back in, not letting the man push him away this time. "Come on," Kakashi murmured, leading the man to his bedroom, reaching out with his chakra to see if Iruka was home, only to find the man already curled up under the covers.

"Do you need anything?" Iruka asked, looking suddenly as tired as Gai as he sat up as Kakashi began undressing the raven. "Something to eat? Water?" he asked, starting to get up when Kakashi signaled for him to stay. "I've got it," he murmured, peeling the rest of Gai's clean clothes off of him and gesturing to the bed. "You two relax." In a moment Kakashi was back with some simple leftovers in hand and a large glass of water along with some pain meds.

"Sleep," Kakashi ordered them both, knowing that no talk would help much at this point, especially with Gai being so physically exhausted and Iruka being on the edge mentally.

"Where are you going?" Gai asked climbing into the bed with a resigned sigh. He took the medication from Kakashi after studying the pills. Taking the water he drank it down. Gai nibbled on some of the food before collapsing back on the bed. "You should sleep too." When Kakashi had climbed in Gai let his eyes close. Gai felt himself fall into the world of sleep knowing that he had only a few hours of obliviousness to enjoy before his body rebelled. He knew that no matter how tired he was his eyes would be open again at 4am but Gai was confident that he could make himself sleep longer.


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Relations between Senseis  
>Pairing: (KakaIru, GaiIru, KakaGai with eventual GaiKakaIru )<br>Rating: M for Sex, Violence and Mature themes  
>Warnings: Attempted Suicide, Violence, Polyamorous Relationship<br>Summary: There is a lot more to Maito Gai then meets the eye and unfortunately it takes some bad things happening before Kakashi and Iruka realize it. (Summary not so great but story is better)  
>Author's Note: Sorry I have been sick and editing this while sick has caused me to make some typos here and there. I apologize for it taking so long but reviews do make me put in the effort to try to get things in sooner. In the words of multiple authors so I can't say which one started it, 'Reviews are like food for writers, so feed the writer!'. Also some of you have been anxiously waiting for something and you are going to get it now. Thank you for the reviews.<p>

When 4am came Gai sat up and rolled out of the bed. On the floor he began to stretch out his muscles. The slight pain he felt let him know exactly how much damage had been done.

Rolling over and facing where Gai was stretching, Kakashi grunted softly and yawned. "Come back to bed," he murmured, stretching out his arm and letting his fingers drag over Gai's silky black hair. "You should take some more time to recuperate. Maybe skip your workout today," he suggested, sliding closer to Iruka and patting the bed on the other side of him. "I want to talk to you about something."

Looking at Kakashi, Gai thought for a moment as he finished stretching. It was his intention to finish stretching and then possibly look into getting a massage. Realizing that if Kakashi wanted to talk right now there was little Gai could do to get away or desuade him.

Sitting up, Gai lay down on the mattress and waited for Kakashi to speak. Laying on his back was comfortable for the time being though Gai knew it wouldn't be comfortable for long. Shifting a bit more Gai finally shifted to his side to get on his stomach. His head turned as he waited for Kakashi to start the conversation.

Sighing, Kakashi ran a hand along Gai's arm, looking at his friend intently. His fingers brushed a lock of Gai's hair off his forehead and trailed down the side of the man's face. "You know, we weren't suppose to live this long, either of us. Ninja like us have a best before date, regardless of our skill level. I know I'm past mine, have been for a few years now. I think you're pretty close to yours, if you haven't passed it already. We were supposed to die before we ever got close to this point though, before we realize that we need more than what the missions can offer." Kakashi gently massaged the back of Gai's neck, not quite sure how to put the rest.

"I think you need something more in your life now. You need someone. I'm not going to presume to tell you whom, but you need to break out of your shell a little and have someone special in your life or you're going to lose yourself, like I came dangerously close to doing. Do you understand what I'm saying," Kakashi asked, pulling Gai closer to him, the space between them intimate and heated.

"I will have you know I am still in my youth comparatively old man." Gai teased thinking. "What about someones?" The thought was out there before Gai had given much thought to its implications. Then Gai realized that he would be damned if he let the consequences get in the way.

An image of Naruto and Sasuke flashed through his mind; the tragedy of it in the making. Even though he knew that it would be a tragedy from when Sasuke first left the village. They had been too young then to have thoughts of anything but the loss of a brother. Gai had been there and he knew from watching Kakashi that it would grow into love like any weed. Though weeds still grew flowers, sometimes. Gai hoped he could call love something other than a weed at some point. Now seemed to be the time to see.

Pursing his lips even thinner, Kakashi glanced over his shoulder at Iruka. He was pretty sure that the brunet wasn't asleep anymore but that meant that he didn't want to jump into the conversation just then. Kakashi could understand why, Iruka was too busy worrying about Genma and Naruto to make any cogent decisions right now.

"That isn't something I can decide by myself," Kakashi murmured softly, pulling Gai tight against him, the tension and uncertainty spiking his adrenaline and making him hard. "But I suspect it's something Iruka would want too. We might just have to wait until things settle down a bit before bringing it up."

Cupping the back of Gai's head, Kakashi guided their faces together, his thin lips pulling at Gai's gently as his arms held the man firmly against him. His tongue licked at the seam of Gai's mouth, rubbing against the other man's languidly. It was the kind of kiss he never thought he'd share with Gai but he didn't find it distasteful at all. In fact the kiss was incredibly hot.

So hot that Kakashi very nearly missed Iruka disappearing from the bed behind him. Cursing internally, Kakashi sighed and rested his head against Gai's collarbones. "He's fine, just in the garden. He's very private about his emotions. Ironic considering he's a counselor."

Lifting his head and running his hands along Gai's ridiculously toned body, Kakashi groaned softly. He was upset too, he just felt like dealing with his anxiety in a different way. "I wanna fuck, Gai," he breathed, running his tongue up Gai's throat.

"Are you sure Iruka's okay?" Gai felt his voice quiver a little bit. He didn't want to do anything to annoy Iruka or cause him any distress. Gai knew that sometimes you needed your space and sometimes you needed someone to understand that space wasn't always what you needed.

The conflicting information from his head and his body was making Gai a little light headed. He knew with his head that it would be better to wait but his body was demanding some satisfaction. Weary though he was his erection was still pulsing with life. Pushed up next to him was his wet dream come to life.

"He's upset about Genma and Naruto, not you. If he wanted company he would have stayed," Kakashi murmured, pulling Gai's underwear down his hips. A tiny piece of the back of his mind felt guilty for trying to get his cock inside Gai when Iruka was clearly so upset but he'd learned that sometimes it was better to let his lover calm down before approaching him. Besides, he decided like he got a round alone with Gai at the very least too.

Kakashi's sharp canines pulled at the skin of Gai's throat as he began maneuvering himself between his friend's long, muscular legs. His hand fumbled in the bedside stand for lube as he ground their naked cocks together. "I want you, Gai," he groused out, his hands massaging Gai's firm cheeks. "You ready for me, Gai," he taunted, knowing that Gai had wanted to be physical with him for a long time.

"Don't get cocky Kakashi." Gai groaned lightly as he realized that currently he wasn't in a position to make even an overture at possibly topping. "Total body control is a dangerous thing." Warning Kakashi seemed only fair. He had warned Iruka of the same thing but no one tended to listen until after the fact.

Deciding that Kakashi talking would give him too much time to think Gai pulled Kakashi to him by the back of his neck. Pulling Kakashi on top of him Gai shivered lightly. Nibbling along Kakashi's throat, Gai spread his legs and waited patiently for Kakashi to prepare him.

Slicking up his fingers, Kakashi tossed back the covers and began gently prodding at Gai's hole, eager to get inside the perfectly trained body. Only as his finger breached Gai's ass, he was shocked at how tight it felt, and how the muscles clamped down around the digit like a vice.

"Relax," Kakashi ordered, running a hand along Gai's length and trying to push his finger in deeper. When the muscles clamped down around it again, Kakashi looked up at Gai with a surprised scowl. "Gai, have you ever been fucked before?" he asked, not having considered that the man's body wouldn't be used to being slicked up and prepared like Iruka's was.

"Kakashi my body has been through trauma and I am tense." Gai didn't have any interest in admitting that no one had ever been inside him before. After a moment of getting in touch with his lower muscles and the two rings of muscles inside his anus, Gai flexed them briefly before he felt himself opening up. Breathing slowly and deeply Gai watched Kakashi's face as he let his hands wander over Kakashi's body.

As Gai started to relax, Kakashi slowly fondled his cock as he spread the lube inside Gai's body. Tense or not, the man was very tight and Kakashi was dying to get inside of him. "Push out," he breathed, waiting for the muscles to relax a bit more before carefully sliding in a second finger along with the first.

Leaning down he nibbled at Gai's lips to suppress a groan. "Try to relax," Kakashi murmured again, jacking the slightly taller man off and wondering if he was going to be patient enough to stretch him properly. Sinking his hand into Gai's hair, Kakashi pulled back gently, his lips sucking at the long, muscular neck. "Fuck, you're so tight," he groaned, hardly believing that this was happening. "I want you, Gai," he purred, smiling against Gai's throat when the man shivered at the words. "That make you feel good, hearing that I want you?"

"Yeah. You knew it would." Gai whispered arching his back lightly before using his legs to pull Kakashi closer. "Do it Kakashi. You know you want to. I can take it."

Rolling his hips lightly, Gai ground himself against Kakashi's length, his eyes heavy lidded and his mind bent on sex. "Unless of course you don't think you can make it good." Taunting Kakashi lightly Gai let a smile play on his lips as he spoke. Flicking Kakashi's nipples lightly.

Smirking, Kakashi slathered a handful of lube on his cock and shifted into position. Hooking one of Gai's legs over his arm, Kakashi rubbed the head of his cock against Gai's opening. "I always make it good," Kakashi murmured, bending over Gai and tightening his grip in the man's hair. "Tell me if it hurts," he whispered against Gai's lips before he started slowly easing himself forward.

So tight, so hot, was all Kakashi could think, though he managed to keep his face neutral as he pushed himself into Gai's body, trying not to hurt the man.

Gai relaxed and enjoyed the slow invasion. Watching Kakashi's face he fought the urge not to bite Kakashi in order to get a reaction. Leaning up a bit Gai licked Kakashi's cheek and moaned lightly in Kakashi's ear before flexing his rectum around Kakashi once he was deeply seated inside of him.

Vaguely Gai took note of the pain and wondered if he should just pay for the full body massage and be done with it. Then throwing the thought out abruptly as Kakashi started to move inside him. Stretching lightly Gai relaxed and let it happening, feeling a lassitude settle over his movements. Letting his hands scratch lightly down Kakashi's back before grabbing Kakashi's ass and grinding their pelvises together. Gai enjoyed the way Kakashi felt rubbing against his prostate and he let someone else take care of him for once.

Starting slowly, Kakashi rocked himself inside of Gai, letting out a long, satisfied breath. "Fuck...you feel so good," Kakashi whispered, cupping Gai's face and kissing his friend slowly. The head of his cock dragged and pressed against Gai's prostate and Kakashi groaned when Gai tightened around him.

"Tell me how it feels," he breathed, resting their foreheads together as his hips hunched forward. "Does it feel good," Kakashi asked, swinging his hips in a slow circle so his cock ground against Gai's sweet spot.

"It feels like you are trying to join with me and make are bodies one." Gai breathed slowly and just let his mouth go. "You want me to feel that slight pulse in my back and a tingling in my stomach long after you have shot your load into me. You want to make sure I don't forget that you had me. I feel as though if you stop I won't be able to control what I do." Shifting his hips to grind right along with Kakashi, Gai smiled. "Faster. I want it harder, make me really feel it." Pulling Kakashi in for a deep kiss, Gai called a bit of his chakra to his tongue and lightly ran it against Kakashi's knowing how sensitive the other was to chakra.

Gasping softly into Gai's mouth, Kakashi rolled his hips harder and faster, burying himself deeper into Gai's body. Tugging back on the black hair, Kakashi set a firm pace; drinking in the shy sounds he pulled from Gai's mouth.

"Mmm, fuck that's hot. Who would have guessed that you were so bashful," Kakashi purred, running his tongue back against Gai's to get that amazing tingling sensation against his again.

"Give me your cum, Kakashi." Gai whimpered lightly when he felt the tale tell signs of his orgasm approaching. Feeling his eyes begin to roll lightly and his chakra coils pulse wildly, Gai felt himself start to grab onto something while he relaxed his muscles to the onslaught.

"Cumming." Gai moaned barely able to breath as the orgasm ripped through him and sent his heart racing. As his vision blurred, Gai reluctantly concluded that as much as he wanted to see Iruka and make sure he was okay, Gai wasn't as recovered as he thought. Sleep pulled at Gai and when Kakashi's release finally coated his insides, Gai promptly passed out.

Collapsing beside the raven, Kakashi was shocked to find that he felt extremely comfortable about what had passed between Gai and himself. He'd thought it would be more strained but it had actually felt very natural to be with the man like that.

Then there was Iruka, and thinking about him almost made Kakashi feel ill. He hadn't admitted it before but he'd been acting a bit vindictive for what had happened when he'd been away on a mission. In the end it hadn't been about hurting Iruka at all but he realized that might have been the outcome regardless.

Pressing his lips to Gai's, Kakashi eased himself out of bed, padding softly down the halls to try to find his lover.


	12. Chapter 12

Title: Relations between Senseis  
>Pairing: (KakaIru, GaiIru, KakaGai with eventual GaiKakaIru )<br>Rating: M for Sex, Violence and Mature themes  
>Warnings: Attempted Suicide, Violence, Polyamorous Relationship<br>Summary: There is a lot more to Maito Gai then meets the eye and unfortunately it takes some bad things happening before Kakashi and Iruka realize it. (Summary not so great but story is better)  
>Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for the reviews and kind words. I appreciate them. It is likely I will do a separate epilogue looking forward a few years. It will likely be more humorous and comedy than anything else.<p>

Iruka leaned back against the rock in the garden, careful to keep any tears from actually creeping into his eyes. He felt sick with worry about Naruto and Genma, though he supposed right now no news was good news.

And it stung that Kakashi had nearly consented to inviting Gai into the relationship without speaking to him. It wasn't that Iruka didn't want Gai to be with them, but he was still mourning the loss of the blissful existence that he and Kakashi had.

He was naked except for the blanket wrapped around his arms and as Kakashi appeared on the deck of the house, Iruka shrugged the blanket up around his shoulders higher.

"Hey, I'm okay. Just needed some air," he murmured with a weak smile.

"Do you want me to go?" Kakashi asked, wishing he could see inside his lover's head just then.

Iruka shook his head but then shrugged and got to his feet. "Let's go back to bed for a bit. It's so early," Iruka yawned, rejoining Kakashi and letting his lover lead him back to their room. "You have fun?" Iruka asked, his smile still weak and exhausted.

Kakashi just grunted and helped his lover back into bed beside Gai. "I love you, you know that, right?" he murmured as Iruka's long lashes started to flutter closed tiredly. When Iruka grunted softly in affirmation, Kakashi wrapped his arms around the smaller body. "Good, don't forget it."

The next time Gai woke up he could tell that it was just past noon. Looking next to him Gai saw Kakashi and Iruka cuddled up still soundly asleep. Smiling faintly at the adorable sight, Gai slowly extracted himself from the bed. Staggering only slightly as he made his way to his room. Grabbing some clothes and a quick shower, Gai managed to make his way down the stairs.

Preparing the two men a light lunch, Gai left it under a jutsu in the kitchen before making a protein shake. Then after some thought, Gai made a second shake before writing a note to Kakashi and Iruka. Knowing that the two would need some time to talk about things, Gai decided to make himself scarce.

Knowing that Raidou would likely haven't left the hospital, Gai slowly made his way over. Dressed in a black spandex body suit that he covered with a white and green yukata with black shinobi sandals. Once in the hospital it didn't take long to find Raidou who was pacing the floor in the waiting room.

"I come baring food." Gai greeted Raidou, putting the food on a nearby table. "Is everything okay? Did Genma wake up?"

"No." Raidou's voice was soft.  
>Walking over Gai simply put his hand on Raidou's shoulder. Gai felt a bit like a failure. He hadn't gotten back in time after all. Feeling like he needed to make up for failing his friend, Gai coaxed Raidou into eating some and drinking his protein shake. Knowing that there wasn't a lot for him to do at this point, Gai left Raidou alone to grieve as he wanted. The doctors were finally allowing Raidou back into the room.<p>

Gai watched Raidou go shaking his head and trying to convince himself that there was nothing more he could do. Walking to Naruto's room, Gai had to get special permissions but once he was allowed in, Gai sat on the bed.

"You know no one will blame you if you die. What you had to do was unbearable but everyone would like you to live." Gai reached out and took Naruto's hand. "I know a bit about how you must be feeling. Things will turn out how they will. You may be too young now to realize it but give it a chance."

Looking around the room Gai spotted the different flowers that were in the room. "A lot of people would miss you if you were gone. You would be surprised how many. You just never notice it until you almost die. Personal experience is talking now." Gai grinned ruefully.

Blue eyes that should have been bright blue but appeared clouded and dull opened, blinking weakly at the dark haired man. "I know...I should be strong, but I don't want to anymore. It was easy to be strong when I was still trying to get him back," Naruto murmured, squeezing weakly at Gai's hand.

"Maybe if I'd told him... maybe he wouldn't have..." A tear streaked down Naruto's scarred cheek and he sniffled softly. "Don't leave it too late. If you love someone, tell them," he murmured to Gai.

"I am realizing that more and more each day." Gai sighed before laying down beside Naruto on the bed and quietly wiping his tears away. "There is someone else for you. I know it. But for now if you can't be strong for him anymore be strong for those in the village who would give their own lives rather than see you die."

Rubbing lightly up and down Naruto's arm made Gai continued. "What am I going to do with you? Tsunade is going to kill one of us. It will either be you for coming out of the coma she put you in or now that I think about it she may kill me for you waking up on your own and not getting her."

Naruto couldn't help it, he laughed a bit and then with a sob put his face into Gai's chest and let the tears flow. Finally when he was cried out he sighed. "Fuzzy brow sensei you know she will kill us both."

"Too true, too true." Gai sighed before reaching for the call bell. "You decent for other company now?" When Naruto nodded wiping the evidence of tears from his face, Gai sat up and realized the call bell wasn't necessary. There had been an ANBU who had quietly been observing and must have summoned the Hokage.  
>"Brace yourself." Gai chuckled and rubbed his head before flopping in one of the bedside chairs.<p>

"Brat!" Tsunade spit out as she stormed into the room. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" She immediately moved to the side of the bed and started checking Naruto's vitals. Pulling down the blankets, Tsunade gently palpated Naruto's abdomen, checking for internal damage.

"Well, it seems that the fox has almost completely healed you. What I don't know is how you came out of a medically induced coma?" she asked with a smile, ruffling Naruto's blond hair. "You might have to teach some of your fellow jounin that one."

"Fuzzy brow sensei, she is smiling at me and being nice to me after I almost got myself killed. Is it a genjustsu?" Naruto stage whispered. The sharp smack to the back of Naruto's head made Gai chuckle and for a moment Naruto smiled softly though his eyes were still dull. "Good old Tsunade baa chan."

"I'll see if I can't get some ramen and sneak it in later." Gai whispered into Naruto's ear before giving the man a squeeze on the arm and making his way out of the hospital.

"I shouldn't have slept with him this morning," Kakashi murmured, running his fingers through Iruka's hair. They were still in bed and Kakashi suspected that they probably wouldn't end up doing much today other than wait for word on their friends. "I needed the release and I knew you weren't up for it. I think we need to talk about what's been going on here."

Not rolling over, Iruka nodded. He knew what the right call was but he suddenly anxious about the decision. Change, when you have something so good, was scary.

When Iruka didn't speak, Kakashi sighed and wrapped his arms around the brunet. "What's wrong? You already know that I love you more than anything. It was you who was pushing us in this direction from the beginning. Hell, you're the one who slept with him first." Kakashi worried he might have gone too far so he pressed his lips to Iruka's neck. "So what's the problem? Is it just too much to think about right now?"

Sighing, Iruka nodded. "It was. But it was what I thought would be right. I don't want him to be lonely like that anymore. He'd be a good fit with us," Iruka murmured, reaching a hand back and sinking it into Kakashi's hair. "It would be nothing short of rejection if we turned him away now. I couldn't do that to him."

"Ru, that's not the reason to do..."

"No, I know," Iruka interjected, his heart aching as he thought about Gai when he'd been so sad before. "I know. That's not what this is about. I'm assuming you're alright with it and I am too. Oh, he's back. We should get up for a bit. Maybe he has news."

Kakashi wanted to object, to be sure before Iruka got out of bed but he knew that Iruka didn't say something unless he meant it. "Alright, you want to talk to him right away today?" he asked, climbing out of the bed and pulling on a pair of underwear and pants, nodding back when Iruka nodded in agreement.

Gai was a little put out that he wouldn't be able to get a massage until later that night but then he had said he would bring Naruto ramen when he came back. Shifting through the wards, Gai strolled into the kitchen and tilted his head when he noticed that the food hadn't been touched. Shrugging Gai released the jutsu and sprawled in the chair. He meticulously began to nibble on some fruit as he thought about Genma. Raidou didn't look like he had gotten any sleep and Gai knew that he would crack soon.

Making a note to take Raidou dinner and if necessary knock him out Gai contemplated the other thing that had been on his mind. The book and the two men who had inspired it. Gai wasn't sure if continuing would be the right thing. Depending on the circumstances he may have to discontinue it. That particular thought made Gai frown deeply, his leg bouncing up and down as he thought.

Iruka smiled as he walked out into the main room but didn't say anything, sitting at the table and pulling a juicy piece of mango towards him, sliding the orange flesh between his full lips.

"Hey. Were you at the hospital?" Kakashi asked as he came into the room, giving Iruka's shoulders a squeeze before taking his own seat. "Any news?" he asked, still a bit uncomfortable with the silence Iruka was wrapping himself in.

"Genma is still out. The medics aren't saying much." Gai sighed studying the table thoughtfully. "Naruto is awake but not really present yet. He won't ever be the same." Thinking about how Naruto would live his life now gave Gai an uncomfortable feeling. He didn't know why but Gai knew that he was going to be randomly appearing to drag Naruto out and about again.

Kakashi smiled behind his mask when Iruka visibly perked up at the news.

"Naruto's awake? That's great! He seems better?" Iruka chirped, looking nearly like a totally different person with the smile that spread across his face. "I'm so relieved. Is he allowed visitors?" Iruka yammered on, not even waiting for an answer before asking the next question.

"Ru...should we discuss..." Kakashi asked, nodding towards Gai, hoping his lover would get the point.

"Ah..." Iruka murmured, nodding and biting his lower lip. "Well, the first thing I think we should address is that a relationship with three people is nearly impossible to maintain. Do you know how hard it is to keep someone from getting jealous? It's not what I want to happen but if we agree to do this are we also prepared for it all to fall apart?" Iruka asked, looking between the two men. "We all care about one another, that's obvious, and I'm worried about what will happen to us if this doesn't work. Still...that doesn't mean I don't want to. Gai, what are you thinking? Is a polyamourous relationship even something you want?"

"Wait slow down for a moment." Gai rubbed his forehead and tried to figure out where best to start. "One Naruto is awake but you have to get special permission because his mental state is a little..." Gai made a hand gesture to convey Naruto being somewhat off. Then schooling himself and taking a deep breath Gai turned over his thoughts on what else Iruka had said.

"I'm not a jealous person. I don't really have it in my make up." Gai paused thoughtfully. "I am competitive by nature but I never worry about what someone else has or does because I am myself. Wearing green spandex on a regular basis tends to give one a certain acceptance of different or alternative life choices."

Scratching his chin thoughtfully, Gai rolled over in his mind his thoughts one more time before continuing. "I like you both, hell I have been in love with one of you for years and the other blindsided me with how much I have come to adore them. I like seeing you two together and I have said before and say it again I think you two fit together. I would walk away from it all if I thought I was negatively impacting what you two have. That is not me being a martyr that is me knowing my own mind enough that I wouldn't want to be the cause of anyone else being miserable."  
>Then Gai figure he may as well lay out the other reason he was comfortable with a polyamorous relationship. "As you both know my family wasn't from Konoha and I didn't actually come to the village until I was older but I had two fathers and my mother. They were in a relationship and I knew it. I never knew which man was my father because they were both there. I have had a good example of how relationships with multiple people can work. It isn't easy but I believe anything worth having is worth fighting for."<p>

Surprised by the news, Kakashi humming in affirmation. "You keep that little tidbit pretty close to the chest, don't you," he murmured, smiling at Gai through his mask. "I think you would be a good fit with us. Rather, we'd be a good fit together. I know Iruka and haven't been together for that long but I think we can handle the change. Is this what you want though? Both of you, are you sure that this is what you want?"

Iruka rubbed his full lips together, still looking unsure of what he really wanted. Still, he nodded his tan chin, reaching one hand out towards Gai and the other out towards Kakashi. "Yeah, I'm sure," he murmured, taking both men's hands and squeezing them reassuringly. "Gai...I know you have deep feelings for Kakashi. Are you sure that you want a relationship with me too? Or am I just part of the deal?"

"Iruka, my adorable ever doubting sensei." Gai began, "I admired you before which you are well aware of, I have gradually come to respect you and well obviously lust after you. I'm not fickle," waving at Kakashi, "Obviously and I don't say what I don't mean. I like you, enjoy spending time with you, I enjoy your sense of humor, I even enjoy watching you in a temper and being all caring at the same time. I enjoy you and to be honest was a little thrown off when I found out you were going to be my therapist because well..." Coughing and blushing, Gai stopped talking and rubbed his head. "You were a little too much like someone I could fall in love with." The last was said in a bit of a rush.

Watching the blush spread across Iruka's cheeks had Kakashi grinning broadly. Tiny little shots of jealousy shot threw him but he quickly batted them away. He hoped that Gai and Iruka would love one another. It was the only way that this was going to work.

"Good. That's good," Kakashi murmured, getting to his feet and pulling down his mask. Pressing his lips to Gai's before leaning over to kiss Iruka. "Mmm, now let's eat and go back to the hosptial and see if we can help our friends at all, okay?" he murmured, gesturing for the two men to come to him for an embrace.

Shaking his head, Gai managed to hobble over and wrap his arm around Kakashi before kissing Iruka on the lips and wrapping him up as well. "You two may want to leave without me I am in full hobble mode at the moment," Gai sighed. "I hopefully will be more spry after my massage later on tonight." Giving the two men in his arms an extra squeeze Gai managed to shuffle back over to his seat and gingerly sit down. "Though taking Raidou lunch would probably be a good idea, he probably won't remember unless he passes out."

Frowning, Iruka moved behind Gai and rubbed his shoulders. "Why don't you let Kakashi and I give you a good rubdown. Kakashi is very good at it aaaand if you trust me, Genma taught me all about acupuncture. I'm good at it but I know that's the sort of thing most people want to go to a professional for," Iruka murmured in Gai's ear as he worked his thumbs against Gai's muscles. "Aside from food do you think Raidou wants anything else? What about Naruto?"

"I could definitely go for both. Lactic acid is just sitting in my muscles I can feel it." Gai practically moaned at the shoulder rub. He couldn't help it but a good shoulder rub tended to make Gai react like a really happy puppy.

"Raidou would probably need a mild distraction like a book or something. Naruto is of course Ramen and more than likely some type of puzzle or scroll to keep him occupied for the time being. He isn't going to be interested in much and if possible keeping him out of his own head would be a good idea." When Iruka hit a particular tough knot Gai felt felt his leg twitch. The reaction was completely involuntary but Gai couldn't quite make the reaction stop.

"Mmm, looks like you could use that rubdown right now, Gai," Iruka murmured, glancing at Kakashi hopefully.

"Yeah yeah. You go. Look after Raidou and Naruto, I'll look after Gai," Kakashi murmured, smiling and waving Iruka off. "Hurry back though. The only thing better than one set of hands working you over is two."

Grinning broadly, Iruka pecked them both and dashed back into the bedroom, changing into a uniform and heading off towards the hospital.

"Whew, I'm glad even just for Iruka that Naruto pulled through. He would never have been the same person if he hadn't. Come on. I think you've earned a little relaxation after saving our friends," Kakashi murmured, gesturing for Gai to follow him into the bedroom. "At least from me. If Naruto is really doing better I suspect Iruka will thank you in his own way when he gets back," he added with a wide smirk.

"Oh boy." Gai blushed slightly, before following after Kakashi slowly. "I just want to say I hope you know I am temporarily suspended from bottoming privileges until I can touch my toes again, at the very least."

Making Raidou promise him that he was going to eat the food Iruka had brought for him, the brunet kissed the scarred man on the forehead. Repeating the action on the sandy haired man in the bed, Iruka slipped out of the room.

With the hot, styrofoam container in his hands, Iruka had a hard time not skipping down the halls to Naruto's room. When he opened the door, he could feel himself start to tear up. Dashing over the the blond, Iruka wrapped him up in an a tight, one armed hug.

"Naruto..." Iruka murmured, his throat tight with emotion. "You...scared me so much..."

"Hi Iruka sensei." Naruto's voice was quiet and subdued. "I didn't mean to." Returning Iruka's hug briefly Naruto began to study his hands. "How have you been?" Then with a slight tilt of his head and a small Naruto sniffed. "Is that ramen?"

Nodding and trying not to let the duller than usual response bother him, Iruka pulled the table that was slid over the bed up to Naruto and set the styrofoam down on it. "With extra Naruto, just for you," he added, grinning broadly and settling down on the bed. "How are you feeling now?" Iruka asked, pushing a lock of hair off of Naruto's forehead. "We heard...about Sasuke. I'm so sorry, Naruto. I know how much you wanted him to come home. Maybe now at least he has some peace," Iruka murmured, resting a hand over Naruto's and squeezing gently.

"Thanks sensei." Naruto smiled at the ramen excitedly but quickly lost his enthusiasm for it at the mention of Sasuke. Tensing Naruto looked at Iruka. "He may have peace but what do I have, survivors guilt." Shaking his head, Naruto leaned back in the bed and stared at the ceiling ramen completely forgotten. "Why did he make me kill him. Is that what Sasuke felt like killing his brother." Staring at the ceiling Naruto became lost in thought.

Blinking his long, dark lashes, Iruka managed to stifle his gasp at the news. He wasn't quite sure why he hadn't put it together, it made sense considering Sasuke had attacked them and Naruto had been the most alive of the group.

"Oh...Naruto, I'm so sorry," he breathed again, leaning in and pulling Naruto back against him. "You can't blame yourself. You can't, Naruto. He attacked you. And who knows, maybe he did want you to kill him and yes, that seems crazy but you can't blame yourself. You were trying to protect your team. And I'm sure you did everything you could not to hurt him too. Please, please try to remember that." Iruka craddled Naruto to him, refusing to let go even though he was sure Naruto wanted him to. "It's not your fault, Naruto. It's not. No matter what, remember it's not your fault and that we love you."

Iruka remember what Kakashi had been like when Sasuke had first left. They hadn't been dating then but they were friends. He didn't want Naruto to shut down like that.

"I know." Naruto whispered, "But it isn't going to hurt any less or make it any less real." Finally untangling himself from Iruka's arms Naruto smiled sadly. "Now I have to find another short term goal in life to shoot for. Know any good, loyal friends I can borrow?" Naruto put his head down and began to laugh. "I hate this. I really hate this."

Running his hand through Naruto's hair, Iruka sighed sadly. "I know. I wish I could fix this for you. I wish that more than anything. I know you're not, but you've been he closest thing I've ever had to a little brother or a son, and it's torture to see family hurting like this. It will get easier though, in time."

Drying his eyes, Iruka chuckled weakly and squeezed Naruto's shoulder. "At least eat your ramen. That always helps at least a little, he offered, for once unsure of what to say.

Nodding slowly Naruto pulled the ramen up and slowly tried to eat. His heart a bit soothed by the fact that someone else had told him that they cared and given him a care package to prove it. Naruto didn't finish the entire bowl but he did get a bit of it down. Then he snuggled back up to Iruka and got some sleep.

Iruka stayed for a while, just stroking Naruto's hair before finally leaving him to sleep. It was heartbreaking to see the blond so hurt but Iruka knew it was only something time would heal.

When he walked back inside his bedroom, he wasn't surprise to see Kakashi still working away at Gai, the latter of the men moaning in delight as strong hands worked knots out of one of his legs. Grinning, Iruka slicked up his hands with lotion and crept onto the bed, picking up Gai's other foot and started working his digits into the tight muscles.

Gai couldn't contain the groan and full body spasm of joy that accompanied the addition of another set of hands working on his legs. Sighing peacefully and happily murmuring away Gai relaxed completely, he was a boneless mass at this point. Almost anyway, one part of his anatomy was rock hard and determined. As Iruka and Kakashi hit all the different little spots on his body, Gai tried to talk his erection down.

Kakashi smiled at Iruka as Gai groaned in pleasure, both of them working their hands up to Gai's hips and kneading the tension out of the muscles.

"Enjoying yourself?" Iruka purred, removing his hands for a moment to pull off his clothes, nodding for Kakashi to do the same. "I don't think I thanked you...for your hard work." Smirking, Iruka bent down and licked the top of the crevice between Gai's cheeks.

"Really." Gai voice squeaked out. Unconsciously, his whole body flexed a welcome. "Yes I am enjoying myself very much." Nodding his head for emphasize he tried to keep his voice level but failed completely. "So I am most curious to how you will thank me for my work." Gai felt quite proud of the fact that he managed to contain the blush to his face.

Grinning, Iruka slid his hands all the way up Gai's back, his naked body brushing against Gai's skin. "Mmmm," he purred, nipping at Gai's shoulder. "I would think that you could pick anything your little heart desires. But I can give you some options, if you like."

Shifting beside Gai, Iruka continued to work his strong hands into the muscles and tendons of Gai's back. "Well naturally you're welcome to fuck me silly, if that's to your taste. Or I could put on a show for you. When was the last time you had a lap dance, Gai?" he asked, his tone teasing. "Or I could just continue your full body massage...with my tongue." He let the images marinate, his cock twitching at his own suggestions.

The blush on Gai's face quickly spread to include the rest of his anatomy and Gai was torn between two. Then he realized that he could always plead his case. "What about a combination of all three?" Gai inquired thoughtfully. "I've never had a lap dance but the tongue thing sounds...stimulating." Stuck for a better word for it.

"Oooh front row seats." Kakashi cheered. "Of course with audience participation."

Chuckling, Iruka slid off the bed and signaled to Kakashi for the two of them to relax before disappearing into the walk in closet, giving the pair a sexy look over his shoulder as he left.

Taking down the big, black box, Iruka pulled out some sexy, lace women's underwear, pulling them on and looking in the full length mirror to see his reflection. Kakashi had collected a lot of female clothing for him over the year, though he'd treated his lover to such shows very infrequently, not wanting the man to get any ideas about him being the girl in the relationship, even if he was the one getting fucked.

He slipped on a plaid, pleated mini-skirt and a very see-through white shirt over the black bra and tied the shirt around his ribs.

"Alright, let me make it very clear that this isn't a regular show. Special occasion," Iruka murmured, sliding his feet into a pair of heels and stepping out of the closet so the men could get a look at him.

Oh Gai was happy. SO RIDICULOUSLY happy that he doubted it would be believed. Trying not to keel over from interest Gai smiled and leaned back. Trying to turn himself into a replica of the image Iruka had channeled in one of their therapy sessions, Gai ruffled his hair up a bit.

Much later when Gai found himself sweat slicked and with a soreness of the pleasant kind he wondered how it would all work out. He knew that it was going to be hard going with their relationship but he felt it would be worth it in the end. Watching Iruka snoring peacefully on his back, still in the plaid skirt but otherwise naked, Gai felt himself smiling peacefully. Kakashi was drooling on Iruka's stomach and his foot was twitching every so often.

Realizing that he had the perfect ending to his book, Gai stealthily replaced himself with a pillow before sneaking out of the bedroom. Wrapping himself in a yukata, Gai flopped on the floor in his old room and began the task of writing out what he considered his masterpiece. He was sure though that it would likely be critically panned but really who didn't like a happily ever after? Naive though Gai knew the idea was he still held the hope. Gai knew himself to be nothing if not a romantic.

The End…

Anyway, thanks for reading and let me know if you liked it.


	13. Chapter 13

Epilogue: 6 months later...

Life for one Umino Iruka was good, really good. Six months after he had begun a polyamorous relationship with two of the village's strongest jounin he realized that whoever thought polyamorous relationships were wrong obviously had never woken up the filling in a Maito and Hatake sandwich.

Blinking owlishly for a moment, Iruka leaned forward and kissed the meditating brow of Gai before rolling over. Facing Kakashi, Iruka gave the still slumbering jounin a quick once over to make sure he had made it back from his mission unscathed. Other than a new scar on his nose that Iruka leaned forward and kissed better, Kakashi looked only slightly undernourished but well.

As Gai slipped from the bed now that Iruka was awake, Iruka felt a small thrill of satisfaction that Gai managed to stay in bed an hour longer than normal before heading out to do his normal morning routine. It had taken weeks of threats and bribes before Gai decided that communing with his chakra during meditation exercises was one way to a healthy relationship.

Kakashi and Iruka had learned that compromise was always a good option because both had quickly realized that Gai hated staying still for long unless mission mandated. Getting Gai to stop rising with the sun was like stopping seasons from changing. Though delays could be made.

When Kakashi latched on to Iruka and stuck his nose in his neck, Iruka shifted until he could stroke Kakashi's hair and went back to dozing satisfied with life.

As Gai went through his 2 hour morning workout and made breakfast he felt a natural smile tugging at his lips. It wasn't one of his full on tooth grins meant to unnerve people but an actual happy smile. Finishing up his workout, Gai went into the kitchen to prepare the light foods that Kakashi normally craved after a mission. He also made a superfood shake that he knew Kakashi would grumble about but would drink because it helped give him the nutrients he needed.

Like clockwork, Gai's ears picked up the slow shuffling sound of Kakashi as the man made his way downstairs. Hearing the shower going, Gai imagined that Iruka had gotten a bit of a workout this morning. After setting the table, Gai was in the process of cutting up fruit when two long sinewy arms wrapped around his waist and a cloth covered nose was buried in the back of his neck.

Mentally shaking his head at that fact that Kakashi was a serious pervert and horn dog, Gai reached back and fondled Kakashi lightly before he finished cutting.

"Tease." Kakashi grunted yawning.

"You need your energy," Gai responded heading towards the table with Kakashi latched on to him. "Eat up, I need a shower."

"I could lick..."

"Stop!" Naruto yelled walking into the kitchen with a hand over his eyes. "Come on there is no way you could still be raring to go, Iruka sensei was screaming."

"Cockblock." Kakashi grunted flicking a grape at Naruto as he let Gai go. "Why are you still here again?"

"Iruka sensei wanted me close and my apartment has gotten destroyed twice in the last few months." Naruto responded with a shrug, sitting down Naruto frowned at the green shake in front of him. "Gai do I have to eat that?"

"Yes you have to DRINK it to maintain youthful functions of your body." Gai responded with a smile.

"Huh? What about growing another inch or two?" Naruto mused scratching his chin lightly.

"Depends on where you are trying to grow." Kakashi teased having finished his food and was concentrating on getting his hands into Gai's suit.

"Not while I am eating." Naruto whined shoveling his breakfast down. Iruka entered the kitchen and burst out laughing as Kakashi tried to molest Gai, who was expertly dodging him. Meanwhile, Naruto was ranting about perverted senseis and how Lee would never let him live if he found out that Gai had gone to the pervert side while he was in Suna.

"This is my life and exactly how I like it." Iruka stated making the men present smile at him in amusement, warming him as he ate his breakfast and began his day.

When Naruto left for the day and Gai had managed to escape Kakashi for the showers, Iruka contemplated Kakashi who was lounging in his chair with one of the many books that he now had in rotation. Though the cover may say Ichi Ichi the contents of the books could very well be one of Gai's many works.

"So when exactly are we moving Gai in permanently?" Kakashi questioned as Iruka finished the dishes and sat in his chair with his tea.

"We have to get Lee's blessing." Iruka sighed. "I don't see why you are so worried."

"Lee HATES me." Kakashi shot Iruka a look.

"I'm sure you are imagining things." Smiling lightly, Iruka realized that he was being looked at with a solemn expression.

"No I'm not. Lee for one reason or another has never ever liked me. I think manners are the only thing keeping him civil." Kakashi responded.

Frowning Iruka tried to think about every impression he had of Lee and found that Iruka's knowledge of him had glaring holes, much like his knowledge of Gai months ago. "I'm sure that we'll think of something." Giving Kakashi a determined smile and receiving an eye smile in return, Iruka changed the subject.

"Is it just me or can you not turn around and almost trip over Shikamaru or Neji lately when hanging out with Naruto?"

"I wish they would just drag him off already." Kakashi grumbled closed his book and yanking on his hair lightly.

Smiling Iruka gave Kakashi a nudge. "This wouldn't have anything to do with the set of blue balls you have been getting recently every time you have tried to get into Gai's spandex lately does it?"

"I know he genjutsu's the zipper that is the only way I can think of that makes it so I can't find it. It is never in the same place." Kakashi blew out air and kissed Iruka on the cheek.

"There is a good reason Gai is unofficially known as a genjutsu master." Iruka mused, "No one has managed to break one of his sunset or sunrise jutsu...ever. I wonder if he has any for bedroom use?"

"Now you are just being mean." Kakashi pouted as Iruka stood and left for the day, leaving Kakashi to putter around if he wanted.

==============Three Senseis and a Baby TENTATIVE Beginning=============

Laying in the bed with his lover's of more than two years Gai was for the first time unsure. He was unsure of where life was taking him and he was scared...terrified even of what would come to pass soon. He wasn't sure but he knew it wouldn't be good. Sighing softly Gai rolled over on his stomach before trying again to clear his mind to sleep.

When he no longer could hear the soft snores of Iruka or the deep breathing of Kakashi, Gai knew that he should at least try to come up with an excuse. Something to explain why for the last two weeks Gai had been lying awake in bed or slipping out of bed almost as soon as his lovers were asleep. Their relationship was a complicated one but he knew that if he wanted things to work he needed a plan.

"Gai why are you awake still?" Iruka's tone was deceptively mild and Gai felt a bit of a chill go up his spine. Turning his head slowly on the pillow until he could face Iruka, Gai took note of the fact that, Iruka was facing him. Kakashi had sat up and was regarding Gai through one lazy eye.

"I'm just thinking. I am sorry to keep you awake." Gai murmurred honestly trying to force himself into a meditative sleep Gai turned his head the other way again only to find himself tossed on his back with his head in Kakashi's lap and Iruka laying across his stomach.

"Now Gai..." Iruka drummed his fingers on Gai's stomach lightly in warning.

"Start talking." Kakashi's hands lightly ran through Gai's hair as he looked down at Gai calmly.

"I was thinking that I should move out." Gai blurted out the first thing that came to mind. He only needed a distraction and while Iruka stopped his drumming and Kakashi seemed to freeze it was only for a short pause.

"Not happening." Kakashi and Iruka spoke in unison. It had taken them almost a solid year to get Gai to live with them. Though Gai did keep the apartment he held for Lee he himself had given up his apartment awhile ago.

"Well..." Gai stopped trying to figure out the best way to put his problem or dilemma before sighing thoughtfully.

"Have you ever wanted to have children?"

"No, I'm a teacher and it works out perfectly because at the end of the day I can send them home." Iruka shrugged.

"I prefer ones my students age." Kakashi responded thoughtfully. "Anything younger is target practice."

"Kakashi!" Iruka scolded, swatting the man who grinned at him fondly.

"I see." Gai's voice held a rang of finalty before he nodded. "Thank you for your honesty."

"Anything to get some sleep." Kakashi yawned flopping back as Gai shifted over. "You not sleeping is irritating. You don't smile nearly as brightly."

Smiling softly, Iruka leaned up and kissed Gai on the mouth before snuggling up against him. "You are such a weirdo sometimes." Grumbling as he got comfortable, Iruka never noticed the stillness that Gai held himself with.

When he was sure the two were sound asleep Gai shifted himself out of bed and into the hallway. Walking down the stairs Gai shivered lightly. Winter in Konoha was not being kind. In more than one way Gai felt that winter suited him now.

He would be leaving the best thing he had ever had for the one thing he had always wanted. His own child. The son that was never planned for but was his. Not sure what to do with himself now that he was up and unlikely to sleep Gai started going through stretches hoping to get himself tired enough to sleep some.

As he moved Gai's mind sailed to what had been bothering him for weeks now. A dream he had never thought possible. When Gai had been young he had been really ill. The treatments for the illnesses had made him extremely unlikely to have children.

It had never bothered Gai overmuch until he lost his entire family. Then he had realized that it all ended with him. Aging and not being able to procreate ended his line. He wouldn't exist for someone past his generation.

The thought had terrified the then teenage Gai who had strived to be as youthful as possible. Everything was weighed by the effect it would have on his youth. His element was earth and the solid, inflexibility bothered Gai to an extent he didn't wish to admit.

Youth bent while age broke apart. Then Gai had fallen in love and things had become more complicated when Gai realized a man held his interest. Fighting tooth and nail Gai had done everything to deny his attraction but it was too late. Kakashi had knocked Gai for a loop in one cool stroke and Gai never recovered. Sleeping with woman and other men didn't help at all.

Resigning himself to a crush had made Gai slightly bitter but realizing that at least he had someone to remember him by made it worth it. Around that time Gai alway discovered Lee who had made Gai happy in a way Gai knew having a child of his own would. Lee was the son Gai didn't have but very much his own person.

Gai thought of Lee as a wonderful pupil but knew his family legacy would not carry on with him no matter how much Gai wished it. It really all came down to blood and as much as Gai could tell himself it didn't matter in some small section of his mind it did.

Almost a year before that fateful mission.

*So this is the promised epilogue as well as the possible sequel. We shall see. I have been getting a lot of writing done lately so who knows.


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